LEO  TOLSTOY 


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Book  I.     Chapter  i.     Frontispiece. 


Resurrection 


A    NOVEL 

By 

Leo    Tolstoy 

4  1  C 

Author  of  1° 

J  ft 

"Anna  Karenina,"  "War  and  Peace,"  etc. 

Translated  by 
Mrs.   Louise   Maude 

With  Illustrations  by  Pa  sternak 


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jftctu  J3orfe 
DODD,  MEAD  &  COMPANY 

I  900 


Copyright,  1899,  by 

Dodd,  Mead  &  Company, 

and    1899,    (as    the    "Awakening,") 

By  John  Brisben  Walker. 


THE  BURR  PRINTING  HOUSE,  NEW  YORK. 


^  J^a/^fM 


TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE 

OPINIONS  about  Tolstoy  and  his  work  differ,  but  on 
one  point  there  surely  might  be  unanimity.  A  writer 
of  world-wide  reputation  should  be  at  least  allowed  to  know 
how  to  spell  his  own  name.  Why  should  any  one  insist  on 
spelling  it  "  Tolstoi"  (with  one,  two  or  three  dots  over  the 
"i"),  when  he  himself  writes  it  "Tolstoy"?  The  only 
reason  I  have  ever  heard  suggested  is,  that  in  England  and 
America  such  outlandish  views  are  attributed  to  him,  that 
an  outlandish  spelling  is  desirable  to  match  those  views. 

This  novel,  written  in  the  rough  by  Tolstoy  some  years 
ago  and  founded  upon  an  actual  occurrence,  was  completely 
rewritten  by  him  during  the  last  year  and  a  half,  and  all  the 
proceeds  have  been  devoted  by  him  to  aiding  the  Doukho- 
bors,  a  sect  who  were  persecuted  in  the  Caucasus  (especially 
from  1895  to  1898)  for  refusing  to  learn  war.  About  seven 
thousand  three  hundred  of  them  are  settled  in  Canada,  and 
about  a  hundred  of  the  leaders  are  exiled  to  the  remote 
parts  of  Siberia. 

Anything  I  may  receive  for  my  work  in  translating  the 
book  will  go  to  the  same  cause.  "  Prevention  is  better  than 
cure,"  and  I  would  rather  help  people  to  abstain  from  killing 
and  wounding  each  other  than  devote  the  money  to  patch 
up  their  wounds  after  the  battle. 

LOUISE  MAUDE. 


CONTENTS 


BOOK  I 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  Maslova  in  Prison i 

II.  Maslova's  Early  Life 5 

III.  Nekhludoft.  .  .' 10 

IV.  Missy 15 

V.  The  Jurymen • .  •  •  18 

VI.  The  Judges 21 

VII.  The  Officials  of  the  Court 25 

VIII.  Swearing  in  the  Jury 28 

IX.  The  Trial— The  Prisoners  Questioned 31 

X.  The   Trial — The   Indictment '    35 

XL     The  Trial — Maslova  Cross-examined 38 

XII.  Twelve  Years   Before 44 

XIII.  Life  in  the  Armv 49 

XIV.  The  Second  Meeting  with  Maslova 53 

XV.  The  Early  Mass 57 

XVI.  The  First  Step 62 

XVII.  Nekhludoff  and  Katusha 65 

XVIII.  Afterwards 68 

XIX.  The  Trial— Resumption 71 

XX.  The  Trial— The  Medical  Report 74 

XXI.  The  Trial— The  Prosecutor  and  the  Advocates.  78 

XXII.  The  Trial— The  Summing  Up 83 

XXIII.  The  Trial— The  Verdict 86 

XXIV.  The  Trial— The  Sentence 94 

XXV.  Nekhludoff  Consults  an  Advocate 97 

XXVI.  The  House  of  Korchagin 99 

XXVII.  Missy's   Mother 104 

XXVIII.  The  Awakening 109 


vi  Contents 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXIX.  Maslova  in  Prison 115 

XXX.  The  Cell 119 

XXXI.  The  Prisoners 122 

XXXII.  A  Prison  Quarrel 125 

XXXIII.  The    Leaven   at   Work— Nekhludoff's    Do- 
mestic Changes 129 

XXXIV.  The   Absurdity   of    Law — Reflections    of    a 
Juryman 133 

XXXV.  The      Procureur— Nekhludoff     Refuses      to 
Serve . 138 

XXXVI.  Nekhludoff  Endeavours  to  Visit  Maslova.  .  141 

XXXVII.  Maslova  Recalls  the  Past 144 

XXXVIII.  Sunday  in  Prison — Preparing- for  Mass .  .  148 

XXXIX.  The  Prison  Church — Blind  Leaders  of  the 
Blind 151 

XL.     The  Husks  of  Religion 155 

XLI.     Visiting  Day— The  Men's  Ward 158 

XLII.     Visiting  Dav — The  Women's  Ward 163 

XLIII.     Nekhludoff  Visits  Maslova. 166 

XLIV.     Maslova's  View  of  Life 172 

XLV.     Fanarin,  the  Advocate — The  Petition 175 

XLVI.     A  Prison  Flogging 181 

XLVII.     Nekhludoff  Again  Visits  Maslova 184 

XLVIII.     Maslova  Refuses  to  Marry 187 

XLIX.     Vera  Doukhova 191 

L.     The  Vice-Governor  of  the  Prison kj4 

LI.     The  Cells 198 

LII.     No.  21 201 

LIII.     Victims  of  Government 204 

LIV.     Prisoners  and  Friends 207 

LV.     Vera  Doukhova  Explains 210 

LVI.     Nekhludoff  and  the  Prisoners 213 

LVII.     The  Vice-Governor's   "  At-Home  " 216 

LVIII.     The  Vice-Governor  Suspicious 220 

LIX.     Nekhludoff's  Third  Interview  with  Maslova  in 

Prison 223 


BOOK  II 

I.  Property  in  Land 229 

II.  Efforts  at  Land  Restoration 235 


Contents  vii 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

III.  Old  Associations 239 

IV.  The  Peasants'  Lot 242 

V.  Maslova's  Aunt 246 

VI.  Reflections  of  a  Landlord 250 

VII.  The  Disinherited .  256 

VIII.  God's  Peace  in  the  Heart 260 

IX.  The  Land  Settlement 263 

X.  Nekhludoff  Returns  to  Town 269 

XL     An  Advocate's  View  on  Judges  and  Prosecutors.  274 

XII.  Why  the  Peasants  Flock  to  Town 277 

XIII.  Nurse  Maslova 280 

XIV.  An  Aristocratic  Circle 286 

XV.  An  Average  Statesman 292 

XVI.  An  Up-to-date  Senator 297 

XVII.  Countess  Katerina  Ivanovna's  Dinner  Party..  301 

XVIII.  Officialdom '.  .  .  304 

XIX.  An  Old  General  of  Repute 308 

XX.  Maslova's  Appeal 314 

XXI.  The   Appeal   Dismissed 318 

XXII.  An  Old  Friend 322 

XXIII.  The  Public  Prosecutor 325 

XXIV.  Mariette  Tempts  Nekhludoff 329 

XXV.  Lydia   Shoustova's   Home 336 

XXVI.  Lydia's  Aunt 341 

XXVII.  The  State  Church  and  the  People 343 

XXVIII.  The  Meaning  of  Mariette's  Attraction 349 

XXIX.  "  For  Her  Sake  and  for  God's  " 353 

XXX.  The   Astonishing   Institution    Called    Criminal 
Law 359 

XXXI.  Nekhludoff's  Sister  and  Her  Husband 364 

XXXII.  Nekhludoff's  Anarchism 367 

XXXIII.  The  Aim  of  the  Law 372 

XXXIV.  The  Prisoners  Start  for  Siberia 376 

XXXV.  '  Not  Men  but  Strange  and  Terrible  Crea- 
tures ?  " 381 

XXXVI.  The  Tender  Mercies  of  the  Lord 385 

XXXVII.  '  Spilled  Like  Water  on  the  Ground  "."...  390 

XXXVIII.  The  Convict  Train 395 

XXXIX.  Brother  and  Sister 399 

XL.     The  Fundamental  Law  of  Human  Life 404 

XLI.     Taras's  Story 408 

XLII.     Le  Vrai  Grand   Monde 414 


viii  Contents 


BOOK  III 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  Maslova  Makes  New  Friends 421 

II.  An  Incident  of  the  March 424 

III.  Mary  Pavlovna 427 

IV.  Simonson 430 

V.  The  Political  Prisoners 433 

VI.  KryltzofFs  Story 437 

VII.  Nekhludoff  Seeks  an  Interview  with  Maslova.  .  .   441 

VIII.  Nekhludofr  and  the  Officer 444 

IX.  The   Political   Prisoners 448 

X.  Makar  Devkin 45 1 

XI.  Maslova  and  Her  Companions 453 

XII.  Nabatoff  and   Markel 457 

XIII.  Love  Affairs  of  the  Exiles 462 

XIV.  Conversations  in   Prison 465 

XV.  Novodvoroff 468 

XVI.  Simonson  Speaks  to  Nekhludoff 470 

XVII.  "  I  Have  Nothing  More  to  Say  " 474 

XVIII.  NeverofFs  Fate 477 

XIX.  "  Why  Is  It  Done?  " ' 480 

XX.  The   lournev  Resumed 485 

XXI.  "  fust  a  Worthless  Tramp  " 489 

XXII.  Nekhludoff  Sees  the  General 492 

XXIII.  The  Sentence  Commuted 495 

XXIV.  The   General's   Household 500 

XXV.  Maslova's  Decision 505 

XXVI.  The  English  Visitor 509 

XXVII.  Kryltzoff  at  Rest 511 

XXVIII.  A  New  Life  Dawns  for  Nekhludoff 514 


CHARACTERS  IN  THE  NOVEL. 


Prince  Dmitri  Ivanovitch  Nekhludoff  (Mitinka). 

Katerina  Mikhaelovna  Maslova 

(Katusha,  Lubov,  Lubka). 

Simon  Michaelovitch  Kartinkin,  |  Prisoners  in 

Euphemia  Ivanovna  Botchkova,     f    the  Court. 

Carolina  Albertovna  Kitaeva  (Brothel-keeper). 

Merchant  Theropont  Emilianovitcii   Smelkoff 

(deceased). 

Sophia  Ivanovna,  )  .  _  . , , ,  .   „,     A 

,„-  T    ,  r  JN 'ekhludorr  s  Aunts. 

Mary  Ivanovna,     ) 

Matron  a  Pavlovna,  )    ,    .    0 

r~,  r  their  Servants. 

Tikhon,  ) 

Agraphena  Petrovna,  I  ,T  ,  ,  , ,  ,    _.,    _ 

~        ,  r  JNekhludort  s  Servants. 

CORNEY,  ) 

Peter  Gerasimovitch  (one  of  the  Jury). 
Korableva  (Maslova's  Fellow-prisoner). 
Prince  Korchagin. 

Princess  Sophia  Vasilievna  Korchagin. 
Princess  Mary  Korchagin  (Missy). 


'  Then  came  Peter  and  said  to  Him,  Lord,  how  oft  shall  my 
brother  sin  against  me  and  I  forgive  him?  Until  seven  times? 
Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  say  not  unto  thee,  Until  seven  times;  but 
Until  seventy  times  seven." — Matt,  xviii.,  21-22. 

"  And  why  beholdest  thou  the  mote  in  thy  brother's  eye,  but  con- 
siderest  not  the  beam  that  is  in  thine  own  eye?  " — Matt,  vii.,  3. 

"  He  that  is  without  sin  among  you,  let  him  first  cast  a  stone  at 
her." — John  viii.,  7. 

*  The  disciple  is  not  above  his  master,  but  every  one  when  he  is 
perfected  shall  be  as  his  master." — Luke  vi.,  40. 


Book  I 


RESURRECTION 

CHAPTER  I. 

MASLOVA    IN     PRISON. 

Though  hundreds  of  thousands  had  done  their  very  best 
to  disfigure  the  small  piece  of  land  on  which  they  were 
crowded  together,  by  paving  the  ground  with  stones, 
scraping  away  every  vestige  of  vegetation,  cutting  down 
the  trees,  turning  away  birds  and  beasts,  and  filling  the  air 
with  the  smoke  of  naphtha  and  coal,  still  spring  was  spring, 
even  in  the  town. 

The  sun  shone  warm,  the  air  was  balmy ;  everywhere, 
where  it  did  not  get  scraped  away,  the  grass  revived  and 
sprang  up  between  the  paving-stones  as  well  as  on  the 
narrow  strips  of  lawn  on  the  boulevards.  The  birches,  the 
poplars,  and  the  wild  cherry  unfolded  their  gummy  and 
fragrant  leaves,  the  limes  were  expanding  their  opening 
buds ;  crows,  sparrows,  and  pigeons,  filled  with  the  joy  of 
spring,  were  getting  their  nests  ready ;  the  flies  were  buz- 
zing along  the  walls,  warmed  by  the  sunshine.  All  were 
glad,  the  plants,  the  birds,  the  insects,  and  the  children. 
But  men,  grown-up  men  and  women,  did  not  leave  off 
cheating  and  tormenting  themselves  and  each  other.  It  was 
not  this  spring  morning  men  thought  sacred  and  worthy  of 
consideration,  not  the  beauty  of  God's  world,  given  for  a 
joy  to  all  creatures,  this  beauty  which  inclines  the  heart  to 
peace,  to  harmony,  and  to  love,  but  only  their  own  devices 
for  enslaving  one  another. 

Thus,  in  the  prison  office  of  the  Government  town,  it  was 
not  the  fact  that  men  and  animals  had  received  the  grace 
and  gladness  of  spring  that  was  considered  sacred  and 
important,  but  that  a  notice,  numbered  and  with  a  super- 
scription, had  come  the  day  before,  ordering  that  on  this 
28th   day  of  April,  at  9  a.m.,   three  prisoners  at  present 


2  Resurrection 

detained  in  the  prison,  a  man  and  two  women  (One  of  these 
women,  as  the  chief  criminal,  to  be  conducted  separately), 
had  to  appear  at  Court.  So  now,  on  the  28th  of  April, 
at  8  o'clock,  a  jailer  and  soon  after  him  a  woman  warder 
with  curly  grey  hair,  dressed  in  a  jacket  with  sleeves 
trimmed  with  gold,  with  a  blue-edged  belt  round  her  waist, 
and  having  a  look  of  suffering  on  her  face,  came  into  the  cor- 
ridor. 

"  You  want  Maslova?  "  she  asked,  coming  up  to  the  cell 
with  the  jailer  who  was  on  duty. 

The  jailer,  rattling  the  iron  padlock,  opened  the  door  of 
the  cell,  from  which  there  came  a  whiff  of  air  fouler  even 
than  that  in  the  corridor,  and  called  out,  "  Maslova !  to  the 
Court,"  and  closed  the  door  again. 

Even  into  the  prison  yard  the  breeze  had  brought  the 
fresh  vivifying  air  from  the  fields.  But  in  the  corridor  the 
air  was  laden  with  the  germs  of  typhoid,  the  smell  of 
sewage,  putrefaction,  and  tar ;  every  newcomer  felt  sad  and 
dejected  in  it.  The  woman  warder  felt  this,  though  she  was 
used  to  bad  air.  She  had  just  come  in  from  outside,  and 
entering  the  corridor,  she  at  once  became  sleepy. 

From  inside  the  cell  came  the  sound  of  bustle  and 
women's  voices,  and  the  patter  of  bare  feet  on  the  floor. 

:'  Now,  then,  hurry  up,  Maslova,  I  say !  "  called  out  the 
jailer,  and  in  a  minute  or  two  a  small  young  woman  with 
a  very  full  bust  came  briskly  out  of  the  door  and  went  up 
to  the  jailer.  She  had  on  a  grey  cloak  over  a  white  jacket 
and  petticoat.  On  her  feet  she  wore  linen  stockings  and 
prison  shoes,  and  round  her  head  was  tied  a  white  kerchief, 
from  under  which  a  few  locks  of  black  hair  were  brushed 
over  the  forehead  with  evident  intent.  The  face  of  the 
woman  was  of  that  whiteness  peculiar  to  people  who  have 
lived  long  in  confinement,  and  which  puts  one  in  mind  of 
shoots  of  potatoes  that  spring  up  in  a  cellar.  Her  small 
broad  hands  and  full  neck,  which  showed  from  under  the 
broad  collar  of  her  cloak,  were  of  the  same  hue.  Her  black, 
sparkling  eyes,  one  with  a  slight  squint,  appeared  in  strik- 
ing contrast  to  the  dull  pallor  of  her  face. 

She  carried  herself  very  straight,  expanding  her  full 
bosom. 

With  her  head  slightly  thrown  back,  she  stood  in  the 
corridor,  looking  straight  into  the  eyes  of  the  jailer,  ready 
to  comply  with  any  order. 


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Resurrection  3 

The  jailer  was  about  to  lock  the  door  when  a  wrinkled 
and  severe-looking  old  woman  put  out  her  grey  head  and 
began  speaking  to  Maslova.  But  the  jailer  closed  the  door, 
pushing  the  old  woman's  head  with  it.  A  woman's  laughter 
was  heard  from  the  cell,  and  Maslova  smiled,  turning  to  the 
little  grated  opening  in  the  cell  door.  The  old  woman 
pressed  her  face  to  the  grating  from  the  other  side,  and  said, 
in  a  hoarse  voice : 

'  Now  mind,  and  when  they  begin  questioning  you, 
just  repeat  over  the  same  thing,  and  stick  to  it;  tell  nothing 
that  is  not  wanted." 

'  Well,  it  could  not  be  worse  than  it  is  now,  anyhow ;  I 
only  wish  it  was  settled  one  way  or  another." 

"  Of  course,  it  will  be  settled  one  way  or  another,"  said 
the  jailer,  with  a  superior's  self-assured  witticism.  "  Now, 
then,  get  along!     Take  your  places!  " 

The  old  woman's  eyes  vanished  from  the  grating,  and 
Maslova  stepped  out  into  the  middle  of  the  corridor.  The 
warder  in  front,  they  descended  the  stone  stairs,  past  the 
still  fouler,  noisy  cells  of  the  men's  ward,  where  they  were 
followed  by  eyes  looking  out  of  every  one  of  the  gratings 
in  the  doors,  and  entered  the  office,  where  two  soldiers 
were  waiting  to  escort  her.  A  clerk  who  was  sitting  there 
gave  one  of  the  soldiers  a  paper  reeking  of  tobacco,  and 
pointing  to  the  prisoner,  remarked,  "  Take  her." 

The  soldier,  a  peasant  from  Nijni  Novgorod,  with  a  red, 
pock-marked  face,  put  the  paper  into  the  sleeve  of  his  coat, 
winked  to  his  companion,  a  broad-shouldered  Tchouvash, 
and  then  the  prisoner  and  the  soldiers  went  to  the  front 
entrance,  out  of  the  prison  yard,  and  through  the  town  up 
the  middle  of  the  roughly-paved  street. 

Isrostciiiks*  tradespeople,  cooks,  workmen,  and  gov- 
ernment clerks,  stopped  and  looked  curiously  at  the  pris- 
oner; some  shook  their  heads  and  thought,  ''This  is  what 
evil  conduct,  conduct  unlike  ours,  leads  to."  The  children 
stopped  and  gazed  at  the  robber  with  frightened  looks ;  but 
the  thought  that  the  soldiers  were  preventing  her  from 
doing  more  harm  quieted  their  fears.  A  peasant,  who  had 
sold  his  charcoal,  and  had  had  some  tea  in  the  town,  came 
up,  and,  after  crossing  himself,  gave  her  a  copeck.  The 
prisoner  blushed  and  muttered  something ;  she  noticed  that 
she  was  attracting  everybody's  attention,  and  that  pleased 

*Isvostch  ik — cabman. 


4  Resurrection 

her.  The  comparatively  fresh  air  also  gladdened  her,  but 
it  was  painful  to  step  on  the  rough  stones  with  the  ill-made 
prison  shoes  on  her  feet,  which  had  become  unused  to 
walking.  Passing  by  a  corn-dealer's  shop,  in  front  of  which 
a  few  pigeons  were  strutting  about,  unmolested  by  any  one, 
the  prisoner  almost  touched  a  grey-blue  bird  with  her  foot ; 
it  fluttered  up  and  flew  close  to  her  ear,  fanning  her  with 
its  wings.  She  smiled,  then  sighed  deeply  as  she  remem- 
bered her  present  position. 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER  II. 
maslova's  early  life. 

The  story  of  the  prisoner  Maslova's  life  was  a  very  com- 
mon one. 

Maslova's  mother  was  the  unmarried  daughter  of  a  vil- 
lage woman,  employed  on  a  dairy  farm,  which  belonged  to 
two  maiden  ladies  who  were  landowners.  This  unmarried 
woman  had  a  baby  every  year,  and,  as  often  happens 
among  the  village  people,  each  one  of  these  undesired 
babies,  after  it  had  been  carefully  baptised,  was  neglected 
by  its  mother,  whom  it  hindered  at  her  work,  and  left  to 
starve.  Five  children  had  died  in  this  way.  They  had  all 
been  baptised  and  then  not  sufficiently  fed,  and  just  left  to 
die.  The  sixth  baby,  whose  father  was  a  gipsy  tramp, 
would  have  shared  the  same  fate,  had  it  not  so  happened 
that  one  of  the  maiden  ladies  came  into  the  farmyard  to 
scold  the  dairymaids  for  sending  up  cream  that  smelt  of 
the  cow.  The  young  woman  was  lying  in  the  cowshed, 
with  a  fine,  healthy,  new-born  baby.  The  old  maiden  lady 
scolded  the  maids  again  for  allowing  the  woman  (who  had 
just  been  confined)  to  lie  in  the  cowshed,  and  was  about  to 
go  away,  but  seeing  the  baby  her  heart  was  touched,  and 
she  offered  to  stand  godmother  to  the  little  girl,  and  pity  for 
her  little  god-daughter  induced  her  to  give  milk  and  a  little 
money  to  the  mother,  so  that  she  should  feed  the  baby ;  and 
the  little  girl  lived.  The  old  ladies  spoke  of  her  as  "  the 
saved  one."  When  the  child  was  three  years  old,  her  mother 
fell  ill  and  died,  and  the  maiden  ladies  took  the  child  from 
her  old  grandmother,  to  whom  she  was  nothing  but  a 
burden. 

The  little  black-eyed  maiden  grew  to  be  extremely 
pretty,  and  so  full  of  spirits  that  the  ladies  found  her  very 
entertaining. 

The  younger  of  the  ladies,  Sophia  Ivanovna,  who  had 
stood  godmother  to  the  girl,  had  the  kinder  heart  of  the 
two  sisters;  Maria  Ivanovna,  the  elder,  was  rather  hard. 


6  Resurrection 

Sophia  Ivanovna  dressed  the  little  girl  in  nice  clothes,  and 
taught  her  to  read  and  write,  meaning  to  educate  her  like 
a  lady.  Maria  Ivanovna  thought  the  child  should  be 
brought  up  to  work,  and  trained  her  to  be  a  good  servant. 
She  was  exacting;  she  punished,  and,  when  in  a  bad  tem- 
per, even  struck  the  little  girl.  Growing  up  under  these  two 
different  influences,  the  girl  turned  out  half  servant,  half 
young  lady.  They  called  her  Katusha,  which  sounds  less 
refined  than  Katinka,  but  is  not  quite  so  common  as  Katka. 
She  used  to  sew,  tidy  up  the  rooms,  polish  the  metal  cases 
of  the  icons,  and  do  other  light  work,  and  sometimes  she 
sat  and  read  to  the  ladies. 

Though  she  had  more  than  one  offer,  she  would  not 
marry.  She  felt  that  life  as  the  wife  of  any  of  the  working 
men  who  were  courting  her  would  be  too  hard ;  spoilt  as  she 
was  by  a  life  of  ease. 

She  lived  in  this  manner  till  she  was  sixteen,  when  the 
nephew  of  the  old  ladies,  a  rich  young  prince,  and  a  univer- 
sity student,  came  to  stay  with  his  aunts,  and  Katusha,  not 
daring  to  acknowledge  it  even  to  herself,  fell  in  love  with 
him. 

Then  two  years  later  this  same  nephew  stayed  four  days 
with  his  aunts  before  proceeding  to  join  his  regiment,  and 
the  night  before  he  left  he  betrayed  Katusha,  and,  after 
giving  her  a  ioo- rouble  note,  went  away.  Five  months 
later  she  knew  for  certain  that  she  was  to  be  a  mother. 
After  that  everything  seemed  repugnant  to  her,  her  only 
thought  being  how  to  escape  from  the  shame  that  awaited 
her.  She  began  not  only  to  serve  the  ladies  in  a  half- 
hearted and  negligent  way,  but  once,  without  knowing  how 
it  happened,  was  very  rude  to  them,  and  gave  them 
notice,  a  thing  she  repented  of  later,  and  the  ladies  let  her 
go,  noticing  something  wrong  and  very  dissatisfied  with 
her.  Then  she  got  a  housemaid's  place  in  a  police-officers 
house,  but  stayed  there  only  three  months,  for  the  police- 
officer,  a  man  of  fifty,  began  to  torment  her,  and  once,  when 
he  was  in  a  specially  enterprising  mood,  she  fired  up,  called 
him  "  a  fool  and  old  devil,"  and  gave  him  such  a  knock  in 
the  chest  that  he  fell.  She  was  turned  out  for  her  rude- 
ness. It  was  useless  to  look  for  another  situation,  for  the 
time  of  her  confinement  was  drawing  near,  so  she  went  to 
the  house  of  a  village  midwife,  who  also  sold  wine.  The 
confinement  was  easv ;  but  the  midwife,  who  had  a  case  of 


Resurrection  7 

fever  in  the  village,  infected  Katusha,  and  her  baby  boy 
had  to  be  sent  to  the  foundlings'  hospital,  where,  according 
to  the  words  of  the  old  woman  who  took  him  there,  he  at 
once  died.  When  Katusha  went  to  the  midwife  she  had 
127  roubles  in  all,  27  which  she  had  earned  and  100  given 
her  by  her  betrayer.  When  she  left  she  had  but  six 
roubles ;  she  did  not  know  how  to  keep  money,  but  spent 
it  on  herself,  and  gave  to  all  who  asked.  The  midwife  took 
40  roubles  for  two  months'  board  and  attendance,  25  went 
to  get  the  baby  into  the  foundlings'  hospital,  and  40  the 
midwife  borrowed  to  buy  a  cow  with.  Twenty  roubles  went 
just  for  clothes  and  dainties.  Having  nothing  left  to  live 
on,  Katusha  had  to  look  out  for  a  place  again,  and  found 
one  in  the  house  of  a  forester.  The  forester  was  a  married 
man,  but  he,  too,  began  to  annoy  her  from  the  first  day. 
He  disgusted  her,  and  she  tried  to  avoid  him.  But  he, 
more  experienced  and  cunning,  besides  being  her  master, 
who  could  send  her  wherever  he  liked,  managed  to  accom- 
plish his  object.  His  wife  found  it  out,  and,  catching 
Katusha  and  her  husband  in  a  room  all  by  themselves, 
began  beating  her.  Katusha  defended  herself,  and  they 
had  a  fight,  and  Katusha  got  turned  out  of  the  house  with- 
out being  paid  her  wages. 

Then  Katusha  went  to  live  with  her  aunt  in  town.  The 
aunt's  husband,  a  bookbinder,  had  once  been  comfortably 
off,  but  had  lost  all  his  customers,  and  had  taken  to  drink, 
and  spent  all  he  could  lay  hands  on  at  the  public-house. 
The  aunt  kept  a  little  laundry,  and  managed  to  support, 
herself,  her  children,  and  her  wretched  husband.  She 
offered  Katusha  the  place  of  an  assistant  laundress ;  but 
seeing  what  a  life  of  misery  and  hardship  her  aunt's  assist- 
ants led,  Katusha  hesitated,  and  applied  to  a  registry  office 
for  a  place.  One  was  found  for  her  with  a  lady  who 
lived  with  her  two  sons,  pupils  at  a  public  day  school.  A 
week  after  Katusha  had  entered  the  house  the  elder,  a  big 
fellow  with  moustaches,  threw  up  his  studies  and  made 
love  to  her,  continually  following  her  about.  His  mother 
laid  all  the  blame  on  Katusha,  and  gave  her  notice. 

It  so  happened  that,  after  many  fruitless  attempts  to  find 
a  situation,  Katusha  again  went  to  the  registry  office,  and 
there  met  a  woman  with  bracelets  on  her  bare,  plump  arms 
and  rings  on  most  of  her  fingers.  Hearing  that  Katusha 
was  badly  in  want  of  a  place,  the  woman  gave  her  her 


8  Resurrection 

address,  and  invited  her  to  come  to  her  house.  Katusha 
went.  The  woman  received  her'  very  kindly,  set  cake  and 
sweet  wine  before  her,  then  wrote  a  note  and  gave  it  to  a 
servant  to  take  to  somebody.  In  the  evening  a  tall  man, 
with  long,  grey  hair  and  a  white  beard,  entered  the  room, 
and  sat  down  at  once  near  Katusha,  smiling  and  gazing  at 
her  with  glistening  eyes.  He  began  joking  with  her.  The 
hostess  called  him  away  into  the  next  room,  and  Katusha 
heard  her  say,  "  A  fresh  one  from  the  country."  Then  the 
hostess  called  Katusha  aside  and  told  her  that  the  man  was 
an  author,  and  that  he  had  a  great  deal  of  money,  and  that 
if  he  liked  her  he  would  not  grudge  her  anything.  He  did 
like  her,  and  gave  her  25  roubles,  promising  to  see  her 
often.  The  25  roubles  soon  went ;  some  she  paid  to  her 
aunt  for  board  and  lodging;  the  rest  was  spent  on  a  hat, 
ribbons,  and  such  like.  A  few  days  later  the  author  sent 
for  her,  and  she  went.  He  gave  her  another  25  roubles, 
and  offered  her  a  separate  lodging. 

Next  door  to  the  lodging  rented  for  her  by  the  author 
there  lived  a  jolly  young  shopman,  with  whom  Katusha 
soon  fell  in  love.  She  told  the  author,  and  moved  to  a  little 
lodging  of  her  own.  The  shopman,  who  promised  to 
marry  her,  went  to  Nijni  on  business  without  mentioning 
it  to  her,  having  evidently  thrown  her  up,  and  Katusha 
remained  alone.  She  meant  to  continue  living  in  the  lodg- 
ing by  herself,  but  was  informed  by  the  police  that  in  this 
case  she  would  have  to  get  a  license.  She  returned  to  her 
aunt.  Seeing  her  fine  dress,  her  hat,  and  mantle,  her  aunt 
no  longer  offered  her  laundry  work.  As  she  understood 
things,  her  niece  had  risen  above  that  sort  of  thing.  The 
question  as  to  whether  she  was  to  become  a  laundress  or 
not  did  not  occur  to  Katusha,  either.  She  looked  with  pity 
at  the  thin,  hard-worked  laundresses,  some  already  in  con- 
sumption, who  stood  washing  or  ironing  with  their  thin 
arms  in  the  fearfully  hot  front  room,  which  was  alwavs  full 
of  soapy  steam  and  draughts  from  the  windows,  and 
thought  with  horror  that  she  might  have  shared  the  same 
fate. 

Katusha  had  begun  to  smoke  some  time  before,  and 
since  the  young  shopman  had  thrown  her  up  she  was  get- 
ting more  and  more  into  the  habit  of  drinking.  It  was  not 
so  much  the  flavour  of  wine  that  tempted  her  as  the  fact 
that   it   gave   her   a   chance  of  forgetting  the   misery  she 


Resurrection  9 

suffered,  making  her  feel  more  unrestrained  and  more 
confident  of  her  own  worth,  which  she  was  not  when  quite 
sober;  without  wine  she  felt  sad  and  ashamed.  Just  at 
this  time  a  woman  came  along  who  offered  to  place  her  in 
one  of  the  largest  establishments  in  the  city,  explaining  all 
the  advantages  and  benefits  of  the  situation.  Katusha  had  the 
choice  before  her  of  either  going  into  service  or  accepting  this 
offer — and  she  chose  the  latter.  Besides,  it  seemed  to  her 
as  though,  in  this  way,  she  could  revenge  herself  on  her 
betrayer  and  the  shopman  and  all  those  who  had  injured 
her.  One  of  the  things  that  tempted  her,  and  was  the  cause 
of  her  decision,  was  the  woman  telling  her  she  might  order 
her  own  dresses — velvet,  silk,  satin,  low-necked  ball  dresses, 
anything  she  liked.  A  mental  picture  of  herself  in  a  bright 
yellow  silk  trimmed  with  black  velvet  with  low  neck  and 
short  sleeves  conquered  her,  and  she  gave  up  her  passport. 
On  the  same  evening  the  procuress  took  an  isvostchik  and 
drove  her  to  the  notorious  house  kept  by  Carolina  Alber- 
tovna  Kitaeva. 

From  that  day  a  life  of  chronic  sin  against  human  and 
divine  laws  commenced  for  Katusha  Maslova,  a  life  which 
is  led  by  hundreds  of  thousands  of  women,  and  which  is 
not  merely  tolerated  but  sanctioned  by  the  Government, 
anxious  for  the  welfare  of  its  subjects ;  a  life  which  for  nine 
women  out  of  ten  ends  in  painful  disease,  premature  de- 
crepitude, and  death. 

Katusha  Maslova  lived  this  life  for  seven  years.  During 
these  years  she  twice  changed  houses,  and  had  once  been 
to  the  hospital.  In  the  seventh  year  of  this  life,  when  she 
was  twenty-six  years  old,  happened  that  for  which  she  was 
put  in  prison  and  for  which  she  was  now  being  taken  to  be 
tried,  after  more  than  three  months  of  confinement  with 
thieves  and  murderers  in  the  stifling  air  of  a  prison. 


io  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  III. 

NEKHLUDOFF. 

When  Maslova,  wearied  out  by  the  long  walk,  reached 
the  building,  accompanied  by  two  soldiers,  Prince  Dmitri 
Ivanovitch  Nekhludoff,  who  had  seduced  her,  was  still 
lying  on  his  high  bedstead,  with  a  feather  bed  on  the  top 
of  the  spring  mattress,  in  a  fine,  clean,  well-ironed  linen 
night  shirt,  smoking  a  cigarette,  and  considering  what  he 
had  to  do  to-day,  and  what  had  happened  yesterday. 

Recalling  the  evening  he  had  spent  with  the  Korchagins, 
a  wealthy  and  aristocratic  family,  whose  daughter  every 
one  expected  he  would  marry,  he  sighed,  and,  throwing 
away  the  end  of  his  cigarette,  was  going  to  take  another 
out  of  the  silver  case ;  but,  changing  his  mind,  he  reso- 
lutely raised  his  solid  frame,  and,  putting  down  his  smooth, 
white  legs,  stepped  into  his  slippers,  threw  his  silk  dressing 
gown  over  his  broad  shoulders,  and  passed  into  his  dress- 
ing-room, walking  heavily  and  quickly.  There  he  carefully 
cleaned  his  teeth,  many  of  which  were  filled,  with  tooth 
powder,  and  rinsed  his  mouth  with  scented  elixir.  After 
that  he  washed  his  hands  with  perfumed  soap,  cleaned  his 
long  nails  with  particular  care,  then,  from  a  tap  fixed  to  his 
marble  washstand,  he  let  a  spray  of  cold  water  run  over  his 
face  and  stout  neck.  Having  finished  this  part  of  the 
business,  he  went  into  a  third  room,  where  a  shower  bath 
stood  ready  for  him.  Having  refreshed  his  full,  white, 
muscular  body,  and  dried  it  with  a  rough  bath  sheet,  he 
put  on  his  fine  undergarments  and  his  boots,  and  sat  down 
before  the  glass  to  brush  his  black  beard  and  his  curly  hair, 
that  had  begun  to  get  thin  above  the  forehead.  Everything 
he  used,  everything  belonging  to  his  toilet,  his  linen,  his 
clothes,  boots,  necktie,  pin,  studs,  was  of  the  best  quality, 
very  quiet,  simple,  durable  and  costly. 

Nekhludoff  dressed  leisurely,  and  went  into  the  dining- 


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Resurrection  1 1 

room.  A  table,  which  looked  very  imposing  with  its  four 
legs  carved  in  the  shape  of  lions'  paws,  and  a  huge  side- 
board to  match,  stood  in  the  oblong  room,  the  floor  of 
which  had  been  polished  by  three  men  the  day  before.  On 
the  table,  which  was  covered  with  a  fine,  starched  cloth, 
stood  a  silver  coffeepot  full  of  aromatic  coffee,  a  sugar 
basin,  a  jug  of  fresh  cream,  and  a  bread  basket  filled  with 
fresh  rolls,  rusks,  and  biscuits ;  and  beside  the  plate  lay  the 
last  number  of  the  Revue  ties  Deux  Mondcs,  a  newspaper, 
and  several  letters. 

Nekhludoff  was  just  going  to  open  his  letters,  when  a 
stout,  middle-aged  woman  in  mourning,  a  lace  cap  covering 
the  widening  parting  of  her  hair,  glided  into  the  room. 
This  was  Agraphena  Petrovna,  formerly  lady's  maid  to 
Nekhludoff's  mother.  Her  mistress  had  died  quite  recently 
in  this  very  house,  and  she  remained  with  the  son  as  his 
housekeeper.  Agraphena  Petrovna  had  spent  nearly  ten 
years,  at  different  times,  abroad  with  Nekhludoff's  mother, 
and  had  the  appearance  and  manners  of  a  lady.  She  had 
lived  with  the  Nekhludoff's  from  the  time  she  was  a  child, 
and  had  known  Dmitri  Ivanovitch  at  the  time  when  he  was 
still  little  Mitinka. 

"  Good-morning,  Dmitri  Ivanovitch." 

"  Good-morning,  Agraphena  Petrovna.  What  is  it  you 
want?"  Nekhludoff  asked. 

"  A  letter  from  the  princess ;  either  from  the  mother  or 
the  daughter.  The  maid  brought  it  some  time  ago,  and  is 
waiting  in  my  room,"  answered  Agraphena  Petrovna, 
handing  him  the  letter  with  a  significant  smile. 

"  All  right !  Directly !  "  said  Nekhludoff,  taking  the 
letter  and  frowning  as  he  noticed  Agraphena  Petrovna's 
smile. 

That  smile  meant  that  the  letter  was  from  the  younger 
Princess  Korchagin,  whom  Agraphena  Petrovna  expected 
him  to  marry.  This  supposition  of  hers  annoyed  Nekhlu- 
doff. 

Then  I'll  tell  her  to  wait?"  and  Agraphena  Petrovna 
took  a  crumb  brush  which  was  not  in  its  place,  put  it  away, 
and  sailed  out  of  the  room. 

Nekhludoff  opened  the  perfumed  note,  and  began  read- 
ing it. 

The  note  was  written  on  a  sheet  of  thick  grey  paper, 
with  rough  edges ;  the  writing  looked  English.     It  said  : 


1 2  Resurrection 

Having  assumed  the  task  of  acting  as  your  memory,  I  take  the 
liberty  of  reminding  you  that  on  this  the  28th  day  of  April  you  have 
to  appear  at  the  Law  Courts,  as  juryman,  and,  in  consequence,  can 
on  no  account  accompany  us  and  Kolosoff  to  the  picture  gallery,  as, 
with  your  habitual  flightiness,  you  promised  yesterday ;  d  moins  que 
vous  ne  soyez  dispose  a  payer  la  cour  d'assise  les  300  roubles 
d' amende  que  vous  vous  refusez  pour  votre  cheval,  for  not  appear- 
ing in  time.  I  remembered  it  last  night  after  you  were  gone,  so  do 
not  forget 

Princess  M.  Korchagin. 

On  the  other  side  was  a  postscript. 

M avian  vous  fait  dire  que  votre  couvert  vous  attendra  jusqu'a  la 
nuit.    Venez  absolument  a  quelle  heure  que  cela  soit. 

M.  K. 

Nekhludoff  made  a  grimace.  This  note  was  a  continua- 
tion of  that  skilful  manoeuvring  which  the  Princess  Kor- 
chagin had  already  practised  for  two  months  in  order  to 
bind  him  closer  and  closer  with  invisible  threads.  And 
yet,  beside  the  usual  hesitation  of  men  past  their  youth 
to  marry  unless  they  are  very  much  in  love,  Nekhludoff 
had  very  good  reasons  why,  even  if  he  did  make  up  his 
mind  to  it,  he  could  not  propose  at  once.  It  was  not  that 
ten  years  previously  he  had  betrayed  and  forsaken  Mas- 
lova ;  he  had  quite  forgotten  that,  and  he  would  not  have 
considered  it  a  reason  for  not  marrying.  No !  The  reason 
was  that  he  had  a  liaison  with  a  married  woman,  and, 
though  he  considered  it  broken  off,  she  did  not. 

Nekhludoff  was  rather  shy  with  women,  and  his  very 
shyness  awakened  in  this  married  woman,  the  unprincipled 
wife  of  the  marechal  de  noblesse  of  a  district  where  Nekhlu- 
doff was  present  at  an  election,  the  desire  of  vanquishing 
him.  This  woman  drew  him  into  an  intimacy  which  entan- 
gled him  more  and  more,  while  it  daily  became  more 
distasteful  to  him.  Having  succumbed  to  the  temptation, 
Nekhludoff  felt  guilty,  and  had  not  the  courage  to  break 
the  tie  without  her  consent.  And  this  was  the  reason  he 
did  not  feel  at  liberty  to  propose  to  Korchagin  even  if  he 
had  wished  to  do  so.  Among  the  letters  on  the  table  was  one 
from  this  woman's  husband.  Seeing  his  writing  and  the 
postmark,  Nekhludoff  flushed,  and  felt  his  energies  awak- 
ening, as  they  always  did  when  he  was  facing  any  kind 
of  danger. 

But  his  excitement    passed    at    once.     The  marechal  de 


Resurrection  1 3 

noblesse,  of  the  district  in  which  his  largest  estate  lay,  wrote 
only  to  let  Nekhludoff  know  that  there  was  to  be  a  special 
meeting  towards  the  end  of  May,  and  that  Nekhludoff  was 
to  be  sure  and  come  to  "  donne'r  un  coup  d'cpaulc,"  at  the 
important  debates  concerning  the  schools  and  the  roads, 
as  a  strong  opposition  by  the  reactionary  party  was 
expected. 

The  marcchal  was  a  liberal,  and  was  quite  engrossed  in 
this  fight,  not  even  noticing  the  misfortune  that  had 
befallen  him. 

Nekhludoff  remembered  the  dreadful  moments  he  had 
lived  through ;  once  when  he  thought  that  the  husband 
had  found  him  out  and  was  going  to  challenge  him,  and  he 
was  making  up  his  mind  to  fire  into  the  air ;  also  the  terri- 
ble scene  he  had  with  her  when  she  ran  out  into  the  park, 
and  in  her  excitement  tried  to  drown  herself  in  the  pond. 

'  Well,  I  cannot  go  now,  and  can  do  nothing  until  I 
get  a  reply  from  her,"  thought  Nekhludoff.  A  week  ago 
he  had  written  her  a  decisive  letter,  in  which  he  acknowl- 
edged his  guilt,  and  his  readiness  to  atone  for  it ;  but  at 
the  same  time  he  pronounced  their  relations  to  be  at  an 
end,  for  her  own  good,  as  he  expressed  it.  To  this  letter 
he  had  as  yet  received  no  answer.  This  might  prove  a 
good  sign,  for  if  she  did  not  agree  to  break  off  their  rela- 
tions, she  would  have  written  at  once,  or  even  come  herself, 
as  she  had  done  before.  Nekhludoff  had  heard  that  there 
was  some  officer  who  was  paying  her  marked  attention, 
and  this  tormented  him  by  awakening  jealousy,  and  at 
the  same  time  encouraged  him  with  the  hope  of  escape 
from  the  deception  that  was  oppressing  him. 

The  other  letter  was  from  his  steward.  The  steward 
wrote  to  tell  him  that  a  visit  to  his  estates  was  necessary 
in  order  to  enter  into  possession,  and  also  to  decide  about 
the  further  management  of  his  lands ;  whether  it  was  to 
continue  in  the  same  way  as  when  his  mother  was  alive, 
or  whether,  as  he  had  represented  to  the  late  lamented 
princess,  and  now  advised  the  young  prince,  they  had  not 
better  increase  their  stock  and  farm  all  the  land  now 
rented  by  the  peasants  themselves.  The  steward  wrote  that 
this  would  be  a  far  more  profitable  way  of  managing  the 
property ;  at  the  same  time,  he  apologised  for  not  having 
forwarded  the  3,000  roubles  income  due  on  the  1st.  This 
money  would  be  sent  on  by  the  next  mail.     The  reason  for 


14  Resurrection 

the  delay  was  that  he  could  not  get  the  money  out  of  th^ 
peasants,  who  had  grown  so  untrustworthy  that  he  had  to 
appeal  to  the  authorities.  This  letter  was  partly  disagree- 
able, and  partly  pleasant.  It  was  pleasant  to  feel  that  he 
had  power  over  so  large  a  property,  and  yet  disagreeable, 
because  Nekhludoff  had  been  an  enthusiastic  admirer  of 
Henry  George  and  Herbert  Spencer.  Being  himself  heir 
to  a  large  property,  he  was  especially  struck  by  the  position 
taken  up  by  Spencer  in  Social  Statics,  that  justice  for- 
bids private  landholding,  and  with  the  straightforward  res- 
oluteness of  his  age,  had  not  merely  spoken  to  prove  that 
land  could  not  be  looked  upon  as  private  property,  and  writ- 
ten essays  on  that  subject  at  the  university,  but  had  acted  up 
to  his  convictions,  and,  considering  it  wrong  to  hold  landed 
property,  had  given  the  small  piece  of  land  he  had  inherited 
from  his  father  to  the  peasants.  Inheriting  his  mother's 
large  estates,  and  thus  becoming  a  landed  proprietor,  he 
had  to  choose  one  of  two  things :  either  to  give  up  his 
property,  as  he  had  given  up  his  father's  land  ten  years 
before,  or  silently  to  confess  that  all  his  former  ideas  were 
mistaken  and  false. 

He  could  not  choose  the  former  because  he  had  no 
means  but  the  landed  estates  (he  did  not  care  to  serve) ; 
moreover,  he  had  formed  luxurious  habits  which  he  could 
not  easily  give  up.  Besides,  he  had  no  longer  the  same 
inducements ;  his  strong  convictions,  the  resoluteness  of 
youth,  and  the  ambitious  desire  to  do  something  unusual 
were  gone.  As  to  the  second  course,  that  of  denying  those 
clear  and  unanswerable  proofs  of  the  injustice  of  land- 
holding,  which  he  had  drawn  from  Spencer's  Social 
Statics,  and  the  brilliant  corroboration  of  which  he  had 
at  a  later  period  found  in  the  works  of  Henry  George,  such 
a  course  was  impossible  to  him. 


Resurrection  1 5 


CHAPTER   IV. 

MISSY. 

When  Nekhludoff  had  finished  his  coffee,  he  went  to  his 
study  to  look  at  the  summons,  and  find  out  what  time  he  was 
to  appear  at  the  court,  before  writing  his  answer  to  the 
princess.  Passing  through  his  studio,  where  a  few  studies 
hung  on  the  walls  and,  facing  the  easel,  stood  an  unfinished 
picture,  a  feeling  of  inability  to  advance  in  art,  a  sense  of 
his  incapacity,  came  over  him.  He  had  often  had  this 
feeling,  of  late,  and  explained  it  by  his  too  finely-developed 
aesthetic  taste ;  still,  the  feeling  was  a  very  unpleasant  one. 
Seven  years  before  this  he  had  given  up  military  service, 
feeling  sure  that  he  had  a  talent  for  art,  and  had  looked 
down  with  some  disdain  at  all  other  activity  from  the 
height  of  his  artistic  standpoint.  And  now  it  turned  out 
that  he  had  no  right  to  do  so,  and  therefore  everything  that 
reminded  him  of  all  this  was  unpleasant.  He  looked  at  the 
luxurious  fittings  of  the  studio  with  a  heavy  heart,  and  it 
was  in  no  cheerful  mood  that  he  entered  his  study,  a  large, 
lofty  room  fitted  up  with  a  view  to  comfort,  convenience, 
and  elegant  appearance.  He  found  the  summons  at  once 
in  a  pigeon  hole,  labelled  "  immediate,"  of  his  large  writing 
table.     He  had  to  appear  at  the  court  at  1 1  o'clock. 

Nekhludoff  sat  down  to  write  a  note  in  reply  to  the 
princess,  thanking  her  for  the  invitation,  and  promising 
to  try  and  come  to  dinner.  Having  written  one  note,  he 
tore  it  up,  as  it  seemed  too  intimate.  He  wrote  another, 
but  it  was  too  cold ;  he  feared  it  might  give  offence,  so  he 
tore  it  up,  too.  He  pressed  the  button  of  an  electric  bell, 
and  his  servant,  an  elderly,  morose-looking  man,  with 
whiskers  and  shaved  chin  and  lip,  wearing  a  grey  cotton 
apron,  entered  at  the  door. 

"  Send  to  fetch  an  isvostchik,  please." 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"And  tell  the  person  who  is  waiting  that  I  send  thanks 
for  the  invitation,  and  shall  try  to  come." 


1 6  Resurrection 

"  Yes,  sir." 

'  It  is  not  very  polite,  but  I  can't  write ;  no  matter,  I 
shall  see  her  to-day,"  thought  Nekhludoff,  and  went  to  get 
his  overcoat. 

When  he  came  out  of  the  house,  an  isvostchik  he  knew, 
with  india-rubber  tires  to  his  trap,  was  at  the  door  waiting 
for  him.  '  You  had  hardly  gone  away  from  Prince  Kor- 
chagin's  yesterday,"  he  said,  turning  half  round,  "  when 
I  drove  up,  and  the  Swiss  at  the  door  says,  '  just  gone.' ' 
The  isvostchik  knew  that  Nekhludoff  visited  at  the  Kor- 
chagins,  and  called  there  on  the  chance  of  being  engaged 
by  him. 

"  Even  the  isvostchiks  know  of  my  relations  with  the 
Korchagins,"  thought  Nekhludoff,  and  again  the  question 
whether  he  should  not  marry  Princess  Korchagin  pre- 
sented itself  to  him,  and  he  could  not  decide  it  either  way, 
any  more  than  most  of  the  questions  that  arose  in  his  mind 
at  this  time. 

It  was  in  favour  of  marriage  in  general,  that  besides  the 
comforts  of  hearth  and  home,  it  made  a  moral  life  possible, 
and  chiefly  that  a  family  would,  so  Nekhludoff  thought,  give 
an  aim  to  his  now  empty  life. 

Against  marriage  in  general  was  the  fear,  common  to 
bachelors  past  their  first  youth,  of  losing  freedom,  and  an 
unconscious  awe  before  this  mysterious  creature,  a  woman. 

In  this  particular  case,  in  favour  of  marrying  Missy  (her 
name  was  Mary,  but,  as  is  usual  among  a  certain  set,  a 
nickname  had  been  given  her)  was  that  she  came  of  good 
family,  and  differed  in  everything,  manner  of  speaking, 
walking,  laughing,  from  the  common  people,  not  by  any- 
thing exceptional,  but  by  her  "  good  breeding  " — he  could 
find  no  other  term  for  this  quality,  though  he  prized  it 
very  highly — and,  besides,  she  thought  more  of  him  than 
of  anybody  else,  therefore  evidently  understood  him.  This 
understanding  of  him,  i.e.,  the  recognition  of  his  superior 
merits,  was  to  Nekhludoff  a  proof  of  her  good  sense  and 
correct  judgment.  Against  marrying  Missy  in  particular, 
was,  that  in  all  likelihood,  a  girl  with  even  higher  qualities 
could  be  found,  that  she  was  already  2J,  and  that  he  was 
hardly  her  first  love.  This  last  idea  was  painful  to  him. 
His  pride  would  not  reconcile  itself  with  the  thought  that 
she  had  loved  some  one  else,  even  in  the  past.  Of  course,  she 
could  not  have  known  that  she  should  meet  him,  but  the 


Resurrection  1 7 

thought  that  she  was  capable  of  loving  another  offended  him. 
So  that  he  had  as  many  reasons  for  marrying  as  against  it ; 
at  any  rate,  they  weighed  equally  with  Nekhludoff,  who 
laughed  at  himself,  and  called  himself  the  ass  of  the  fable, 
remaining  like  that  animal  undecided  which  haycock  to 
turn  to. 

"  At  any  rate,  before  I  get  an  answer  from  Mary  Vasi- 
lievna  (the  marcchal's  wife),  and  finish  completely  with  her, 
I  can  do  nothing,"  he  said  to  himself.  And  the  conviction 
that  he  might,  and  was  even  obliged,  to  delay  his  decision, 
was  comforting.  "  Well,  I  shall  consider  all  that  later 
on,"  he  said  to  himself,  as  the  trap  drove  silently  along  the 
asphalt  pavement  up  to  the  doors  of  the  Court. 

'  Now  I  must  fulfil  my  public  duties  conscientiously, 
as  I  am  in  the  habit  of  always  doing,  and  as  I  consider  it 
right  to  do.  Besides,  they  are  often  interesting."  And 
he  entered  the  hall  of  the  Law  Courts,  past  the  doorkeeper. 


1 8  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   JURYMEN. 

The  corridors  of  the  Court  were  already  full  of  activity. 
The  attendants  hurried,  out  of  breath,  dragging  their  feet 
along  the  ground  without  lifting  them,  backwards  and  for- 
wards, with  all  sorts  of  messages  and  papers.  Ushers, 
advocates,  and  law  officers  passed  hither  and  thither. 
Plaintiffs,  and  those  of  the  accused  who  were  not  guarded, 
wandered  sadly  along  the  walls  or  sat  waiting. 

"  Where  is  the  Law  Court?  "  Nekhludoff  asked  of  an  at- 
tendant. 

"Which?    There  is  the  Civil  Court    and    the    Criminal 

Court." 

"  I  am  on  the  jury." 

"  The  Criminal  Court  you  should  have  said.  Here  to  the 
right,  then  to  the  left — the  second  door." 

Nekhludoff  followed  the  direction. 

Meanwhile  some  of  the  Criminal  Court  jurymen  who  were 
late  had  hurriedly  passed  into  a  separate  room.  At  the 
door  mentioned  two  men  stood  waiting. 

One,  a  tall,  fat  merchant,  a  kind-hearted  fellow,  had  evi- 
dently partaken  of  some  refreshments  and  a  glass  of  some- 
thing, and  was  in  most  pleasant  spirits.  The  other  was  a 
shopman  of  Jewish  extraction.  They  were  talking  about 
the  price  of  wool  when  Nekhludoff  came  up  and  asked 
them  if  this  was  the  jurymen's  room. 

"  Yes,  my  dear  sir,  this  is  it.  One  of  us?  On  the  jury,  are 
you?"  asked  the  merchant,  with  a  merry  wink. 

"  Ah,  well,  we  shall  have  a  go  at  the  work  together,"  he 
continued,  after  Nekhludoff  had  answered  in  the  affirma- 
tive. "  My  name  is  Baklasheff,  merchant  of  the  Second 
Guild,"  he  said,  putting  out  his  broad,  soft,  flexible  hand. 
"  With  whom  have  I  the  honour?  " 

Nekhludoff  gave  his  name  and  passed  into  the  jurymen's 
room. 


Resurrection  19 

Inside  the  room  were  about  ten  persons  of  all  sorts. 
They  had  come  but  a  short  while  ago,  and  some  were  sit- 
ting, others  walking  up  and  down,  looking  at  each  other, 
and  making  each  other's  acquaintance.  There  was  a  re- 
tired colonel  in  uniform;  some  were  in  frock  coats,  others 
in  morning  coats,  and  only  one  wore  a  peasant's  dress. 

Their  faces  all  had  a  certain  look  of  satisfaction  at  the 
prospect  of  fulfilling  a  public  duty,  although  many  of  them 
had  had  to  leave  their  businesses,  and  most  were  complain- 
ing of  it. 

The  jurymen  talked  among  themselves  about  the 
weather,  the  early  spring,  and  the  business  before  them, 
some  having  been  introduced,  others  just  guessing  who 
was  who.  Those  who  were  not  acquainted  with  Nekhlu- 
doff  made  haste  to  get  introduced,  evidently  looking  upon 
this  as  an  honour,  and  he  taking  it  as  his  due,  as  he  always 
did  when  among  strangers.  Had  he  been  asked  why  he 
considered  himself  above  the  majority  of  people,  he  could 
not  have  given  an  answer ;  the  life  he  had  been  living  of 
late  was  not  particularly  meritorious.  The  fact  of  his 
speaking  English,  French,  and  German  with  a  good  accent, 
and  of  his  wearing  the  best  linen,  clothes,  ties,  and  studs, 
bought  from  the  most  expensive  dealers  in  these  goods,  he 
quite  knew  would  not  serve  as  a  reason  for  claiming  supe- 
riority. At  the  same  time  he  did  claim  superiority,  and  ac- 
cepted the  respect  paid  him  as  his  due,  and  was  hurt  if 
he  did  not  get  it.  In  the  jurymen's  room  his  feelings  were 
hurt  by  disrespectful  treatment.  Among  the  jury  there 
happened  to  be  a  man  whom  he  knew,  a  former  teacher 
of  his  sister's  children,  Peter  Gerasimovitch.  Nekhludoff 
never  knew  his  surname,  and  even  bragged  a  bit  about  this. 
This  man  was  now  a  master  at  a  public  school.  Nekhludoff 
could  not  stand  his  familiarity,  his  self-satisfied  laughter, 
his  vulgarity,  in  short. 

"  Ah  ha  !  You're  also  trapped."  These  were  the  words, 
accompanied  with  boisterous  laughter,  with  which  Peter 
Gerasimovitch  greeted  Nekhludoff.  "  Have  you  net  man- 
aged to  get  out  of  it?  " 

"  I  never  meant  to  get  out  of  it,"  replied  Nekhludoff, 
gloomily,  and  in  a  tone  of  severity. 

"  Well,  I  call  this  being  public  spirited.  But  just  wait 
until  you  get  hungry  or  sleepy ;  you'll  sing  to  another  tune 
then." 


20  Resurrection 

"  This  son  of  a  priest  will  be  saying  '  thou  '*  to  me  next," 
thought  Nekhludoff,  and  walked  away,  with  such  a  look  of 
sadness  on  his  face,  as  might  have  been  natural  if  he  had  just 
heard  of  the  death  of  all  his  relations.  He  came  up  to  a 
group  that  had  formed  itself  round  a  clean-shaven,  tall, 
dignified  man,  who  was  recounting  something  with  great 
animation.  This  man  was  talking  about  the  trial  going  on 
in  the  Civil  Court  as  of  a  case  well  known  to  himself,  men- 
tioning the  judges  and  a  celebrated  advocate  by  name.  He 
was  saying  that  it  seemed  wonderful  how  the  celebrated 
advocate  had  managed  to  give  such  a  clever  turn  to  the 
affair  that  an  old  lady,  though  she  had  the  right  on  her  side, 
would  have  to  pay  a  large  sum  to  her  opponent.  '  The 
advocate  is  a  genius,"  he  said. 

The  listeners  heard  it  all  with  respectful  attention,  and 
several  of  them  tried  to  put  in  a  word,  but  the  man  inter- 
rupted them,  as  if  he  alone  knew  all  about  it. 

Though  Nekhludoff  had  arrived  late,  he  had  to  wait  a 
long  time.  One  of  the  members  of  the  Court  had  not  yet 
come,  and  everybody  was  kept  waiting. 

*In  Russian,  as  in  many  other  languages,  "thou"  is  used  gener- 
ally among  people  very  familiar  with  each  other,  or  by  superiors 
to  inferiors. 


Resurrection  2 1 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE   JUDGES. 

The  president,  who  had  to  take  the  chair,  had  arrived 
early.  The  president  was  a  tall,  stout  man,  with  long  grey 
whiskers.  Though  married,  he  led  a  very  loose  life,  and  his 
wife  did  the  same,  so  they  did  not  stand  in  each  other's  way. 
This  morning  he  had  received  a  note  from  a  Swiss  girl,  who 
had  formerly  been  a  governess  in  his  house,  and  who  was 
now  on  her  way  from  South  Russia  to  St.  Petersburg.  She 
wrote  that  she  would  wait  for  him  between  five  and  six 
p.m.  in  the  Hotel  Italia.  This  made  him  wish  to  begin  and 
get  through  the  sitting  as  soon  as  possible,  so  as  to  have 
time  to  call  before  six  p.m.  on  the  little  red-haired  Clara 
Vasilievna,  with  whom  he  had  begun  a  romance  in  the 
country  last  summer.  He  went  into  a  private  room,  latched 
the  door,  took  a  pair  of  dumb-bells  out  of  a  cupboard, 
moved  his  arms  20  times  upwards,  downwards,  forwards, 
and  sideways,  then  holding  the  dumb-bells  above  his  head, 
lightly  bent  his  knees  three  times. 

"  Nothing  keeps  one  going  like  a  cold  bath  and  exer- 
cise," he  said,  feeling  the  biceps  of  his  right  arm  with  his 
left  hand,  on  the  third  finger  of  which  he  wore  a  gold  ring. 
He  had  still  to  do  the  moulinee  movement  (for  he  always 
went  through  those  two  exercises  before  a  long  sitting), 
when  there  was  a  pull  at  the  door.  The  president  quickly 
put  away  the  dumb-bells  and  opened  the  door,  saying,  "  I 
beg  your  pardon." 

One  of  the  members,  a  high-shouldered,  discontented- 
looking  man,  with  gold  spectacles,  came  into  the  room. 
"  Matthew  Nikitich  has  again  not  come,"  he  said,  in  a  dis- 
satisfied tone. 

"Not  yet?"  said  the  president,  putting  on  his  uniform. 
"  He  is  always  late." 

'  It  is  extraordinary.  He  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  him- 
self," said  the  member,  angrily,  and  taking  out  a  cigarette. 

This  member,  a  very  precise  man,  had  had  an  unpleasant 


22  Resurrection 

encounter  with  his  wife  in  the  morning,  because  she  had 
spent  her  allowance  before  the  end  of  the  month,  and  had 
asked  him  to  give  her  some  money  in  advance,  but  he 
would  not  give  way  to  her,  and  they  had  a  quarrel.  The 
wife  told  him  that  if  he  were  going  to  behave  so,  he  need 
not  expect  any  dinner  ;  there  would  be  no  dinner  for  him 
at  home.  At  this  point  he  left,  fearing  that  she  might  carry 
out  her  threat,  for  anything  might  be  expected  from  her. 
'  This  comes  of  living  a  good,  moral  life,"  he  thought, 
looking  at  the  beaming,  healthy,  cheerful,  and  kindly  presi- 
dent, who,  with  elbows  far  apart,  was  smoothing  his  thick 
grey  whiskers  with  his  fine  white  hands  over  the  embroid- 
ered collar  of  his  uniform.  "  He  is  always  contented  and 
merry  while  I  am  suffering." 

The  secretary  came  in  and  brought  some  document. 

'  Thanks,  very  much,"  said  the  president,  lighting  a 
cigarette.     "Which  case  shall  we  take  first,  then?" 

'  The  poisoning  case,  I  should  say,"  answered  the  secre- 
tary, with  indifference. 

"  All  right ;  the  poisoning  case  let  it  be,"  said  the  presi- 
dent, thinking  that  he  could  get  this  case  over  by  four 
o'clock,  and  then  go  away.  "  And  Matthew  Nikitich ;  has 
he  come?  " 

"  Not  vet." 

"And  Breve?" 

"  He  is  here,"  replied  the  secretary. 

"  Then  if  you  see  him,  please  tell  him  that  we  begin  with 
the  poisoning  case." 

Breve  was  the  public  prosecutor,  who  was  to  read  the 
indictment  in  this  case. 

In  the  corridor  the  secretary  met  Breve,  who,  with  up- 
lifted shoulders,  a  portfolio  under  one  arm,  the  other  swing- 
ing with  the  palm  turned  to  the  front,  was  hurrying  along 
the  corridor,  clattering  with  his  heels. 

"  Michael  Petrovitch  wants  to  know  if  you  are  ready?'' 
the  secretary  asked. 

"  Of  course ;  I  am  always  ready,"  said  the  public  prose- 
cutor.   "  What  are  we  taking  first?  " 

"  The  poisoning  case." 

"  That's  quite  right,"  said  the  public  prosecutor,  but  did 
not  think  it  at  all  right.  He  had  spent  the  night  in  a 
hotel  playing  cards  with  a  friend  who  was  giving  a  farewell 
party.     Up  to  five  in  the  morning  they  played  and  drank, 


Resurrection  23 

so  he  had  no  time  to  look  at  this  poisoning  case,  and  meant 
to  run  it  through  now.  The  secretary,  happening  to  know 
this,  advised  the  president  to  begin  with  the  poisoning  case. 
The  secretary  was  a  -Liberal,  even  a  Radical,  in  opinion. 

Breve  was  a  Conservative ;  the  secretary  disliked  him, 
and  envied  him  his  position. 

"Well,  and  how  about  the  Skoptay?"*  asked  the  secre- 
tary. 

"  I  have  already  said  that  I  cannot  do  it  without  wit- 
nesses, and  so  I  shall  say  to  the  Court." 

"  Dear  me,  what  does  it  matter?  " 

"  I  cannot  do  it,"  said  Breve ;  and,  waving  his  arm,  he 
ran  into  his  private  room. 

He  was  putting  off  the  case  of  the  Skoptzy  on  account 
of  the  absence  of  a  very  unimportant  witness,  his  real 
reason  being  that  if  they  were  tried  by  an  educated  jury 
they  might  possibly  be  acquitted. 

By  an  agreement  with  the  president  this  case  was  to  be 
tried  in  the  coming  session  at  a  provincial  town,  where 
there  would  be  more  peasants,  and,  therefore,  more  chances 
of  conviction. 

The  movement  in  the  corridor  increased.  The  people 
crowded  most  at  the  doors  of  the  Civil  Court,  in  which  the 
case  that  the  dignified  man  talked  about  was  being  heard. 

An  interval  in  the  proceeding  occurred,  and  the  old 
woman  came  out  of  the  court,  whose  property  that  genius 
of  an  advocate  had  found  means  of  getting  for  his  client,  a 
person  versed  in  law  who  had  no  right  to  it  whatever.  The 
judges  knew  all  about  the  case,  and  the  advocate  and  his 
client  knew  it  better  still,  but  the  move  they  had  invented 
was  such  that  it  was  impossible  not  to  take  the  old  woman's 
property  and  not  to  hand  it  over  to  the  person  versed  in 
law. 

The  old  woman  was  stout,  well  dressed,  and  had  enor- 
mous flowers  on  her  bonnet ;  she  stopped  as  she  came  out 
of  the  door,  and  spreading  out  her  short  fat  arms  and  turn- 
ing to  her  advocate,  she  kept  repeating :  '  What  does  it  all 
mean  ?  Just  fancy  !  " 

The  advocate  was  looking  at  the  flowers  in  her  bonnet, 
and  evidently  not  listening  to  her,  but  considering  some 
question  or  other. 

Next  to  the  old   woman,  out  of  the  door  of  the  Civil 

*  A  religious  sect. 


24  Resurrection 

Court,  hr.s  broad,  starched  shirt  front  glistening  from  under 
his  low-cut  waistcoat,  with  a  self-satisfied  look  on  his  face, 
came  the  celebrated  advocate  who  had  managed  to  arrange 
matters  so  that  the  old  woman  lost  all  she  had,  and  the 
person  versed  in  the  law  received  more  than  100,000 
roubles.  The  advocate  passed  close  to  the  old  woman,  and, 
feeling  all  eyes  directed  towards  him,  his  whole  bearing 
seemed  to  say : "  No  expressions  of  deference  are  re- 
quired.'*' 


Resurrection  25 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    OFFICIALS    OF    THE    COURT. 

At  last  Matthew  Nikitich  also  arrived,  and  the  usher,  a 
thin  man,  with  a  long  neck  and  a  kind  of  sideways  walk,  his 
nether  lip  protruding  to  one  side,  which  made  him  resemble 
a  turkey,  came  into  the  jurymen's  room. 

This  usher  was  an  honest  man,  and  had  a  university 
education,  but  could  not  keep  a  place  for  any  length  of  time, 
as  he  was  subject  to  fits  of  drunkenness.  Three  months  be- 
fore a  certain  countess,  who  patronised  his  wife,  had  found 
him  this  place,  and  he  was  very  pleased  to  have  kept  it  so 
long. 

'Well,  sirs,  is  everybody  here?"  he  asked,  putting  his 
pince-nez  on  his  nose,  and  looking  round. 

"  Everybody,  I  think,"  said  the  jolly  merchant. 

"  All  right ;  we'll  soon  see."  And,  taking  a  list  from  his 
pocket,  he  began  calling  out  the  names,  looking  at  the  men, 
sometimes  through  and  sometimes  over  his  pince-nez. 

"  Councillor  of  State,*  J.  M.  Nikiforoff !  " 

'  I  am  he,"  said  the  dignified-looking  man,  well  versed  in 
the  habits  of  the  law  court. 

'  Ivan  Semionovitch  Ivanoff,  retired  colonel !  " 

"  Here!  "  replied  a  thin  man,  in  the  uniform  of  a  retired 
officer. 

"  Merchant  of  the  Second  Guild,  Peter  Baklasheff !  " 

"  Here  we  are,  ready !  "  said  the  good-humoured  merchant, 
with  a  broad  smile. 

"  Lieutenant  of  the  Guards,  Prince  Dmitri  Nekhludoff !  " 

"  I  am  he,"  answered  Nekhludoff. 

The  usher  bowed  to  him,  looking  over  his  pince-nez, 
politely  and  pleasantly,  as  if  wishing  to  distinguish  him 
from  the  others. 

"  Captain  Youri  Demitrievitch-Dantchenko,  merchant ; 
Grigori  Euphimitch  Kouleshoff,"  etc.  All  but  two  were 
present. 

*  Grades  such  as  this  are  common  in  Russia,  and  mean  very  little. 


26  Resurrection 

"  Now  please  to  come  to  the  court,  gentlemen,"  said  the 
usher,  pointing  to  the  door,  with  an  amiable  wave  of  his 
hand. 

All  moved  towards  the  door,  pausing  to  let  each  other 
pass.    Then  they  went  through  the  corridor  into  the  court. 

The  court  was  a  large,  long  room.  At  one  end  there  was 
a  raised  platform,  with  three  steps  leading  up  to  it,  on 
which  stood  a  table,  covered  with  a  green  cloth  trimmed 
with  a  fringe  of  a  darker  shade.  At  the  table  were  placed 
three  arm-chairs,  with  high-carved  oak  backs ;  on  the  wall 
behind  them  hung  a  full-length,  brightly-coloured  portrait 
of  the  Emperor  in  uniform  and  ribbon,  with  one  foot  in  ad- 
vance, and  holding  a  sword.  In  the  right  corner  hung  a 
case,  with  an  image  of  Christ  crowned  with  thorns,  and 
beneath  it  stood  a  lectern,  and  on  the  same  side  the  prose- 
cuting attorney's  desk.  On  the  left,  opposite  the  desk,  was 
the  secretary's  table,  and  in  front  of  it,  nearer  the  public,  an 
oak  grating,  with  the  prisoners'  bench,  as  yet  unoccupied, 
behind  it.  Besides  all  this,  there  were  on  the  right  side  of 
the  platform  high-backed  ashwood  chairs  for  the  jury,  and 
on  the  floor  below  tables  for  the  advocates.  All  this  was  in 
the  front  part  of  the  court,  divided  from  the  back  by  a  grat- 
ing- 

The  back  was  all  taken  up  by  seats  in  tiers.  Sitting  on 
the  front  seats  were  four  women,  either  servant  or  factory 
girls,  and  two  working  men,  evidently  overawed  by  the 
grandeur  of  the  room,  and  not  venturing  to  speak  above  a 
whisper. 

Soon  after  the  jury  had  come  in  the  usher  entered,  with 
his  sideward  gait,  and  stepping  to  the  front,  called  out  in  a 
loud  voice,  as  if  he  meant  to  frighten  those  present,  "The 
Court  is  coming!"  Every  one  got  up  as  the  members 
stepped  on  to  the  platform.  Among  them  the  president, 
with  his  muscles  and  fine  whiskers.  Next  came  the  gloomy 
member  of  the  Court,  who  was  now  more  gloomy  than  ever, 
having  met  his  brother-in-law,  who  informed  him  that  he 
had  just  called  in  to  see  his  sister  (the  member's  wife),  and 
that  she  had  told  him  that  there  would  be  no  dinner  there. 

"So  that,  evidently,  we  shall  have  to  call  in  at  a  cook 
shop,"  the  brother-in-law  added,  laughing. 

"It  is  not  at  all  funny,"  said  the  gloomy  member,  and  be- 
came gloomier  still. 

Then  at  last  came  the  third  member  of  the  Court,  the 


Resurrection  27 

same  Matthew  Nikitich,  who  was  always  late.  He  was  a 
bearded  man,  with  large,  round,  kindly  eyes.  He  was  suf- 
fering from  a  catarrh  of  the  stomach,  and,  according  to  his 
doctor's  advice,  he  had  begun  trying  a  new  treatment,  and 
this  had  kept  him  at  home  longer  than  usual.  Now,  as  he 
was  ascending  the  platform,  he  had  a  pensive  air.  He  was 
in  the  habit  of  making  guesses  in  answer  to  all  sorts  of  self- 
put  questions  by  different  curious  means.  Just  now  he  had 
asked  whether  the  new  treatment  would  be  beneficial,  and 
had  decided  that  it  would  cure  his  catarrh  if  the  number  of 
steps  from  "the  door  to  his  chair  would  divide  by  three.  He 
made  26  steps,  but  managed  to  get  in  a  27th  just  by  his 
chair. 

The  figures  of  the  president  and  the  members  in  their  uni- 
forms, with  gold-embroidered  collars,  looked  very  imposing. 
They  seemed  to  feel  this  themselves,  and,  as  if  overpowered 
by  their  own  grandeur,  hurriedly  sat  down  on  the  high- 
backed  chairs  behind  the  table  with  the  green  cloth,  on 
which  were  a  triangular  article  with  an  eagle  at  the  top,  two 
glass  vases — something  like  those  in  which  sweetmeats  are " 
kept  in  refreshment  rooms — an  inkstand,  pens,  clean  paper, 
and  good,  newly-cut  pencils  of  different  kinds. 

The  public  prosecutor  came  in  with  the  judges.  With  his 
portfolio  under  one  arm,  and  swinging  the  other,  he  hur- 
riedly walked  to  his  seat  near  the  window,  and  was  instantly 
absorbed  in  reading  and  looking  through  the  papers,  not 
wasting  a  single  moment,  in  hope  of  being  ready  when  the 
business  commenced.  He  had  been  public  prosecutor  but 
a  short  time,  and  had  only  prosecuted  four  times  before  this. 
He  was  very  ambitious,  and  had  firmly  made  up  his  mind  to 
get  on,  and  therefore  thought  it  necessary  to  get  a  conviction 
whenever  he  prosecuted.  He  knew  the  chief  facts  of  the 
poisoning  case,  and  had  already  formed  a  plan  of  action. 
He  only  wanted  to  copy  out  a  few  points  which  he  required. 

The  secretary  sat  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  platform, 
and,  having  got  ready  all  the  papers  he  might  want,  was 
looking  through  an  article,  prohibited  by  the  censor,  which 
he  had  procured  and  read  the  day  before.  He  was  anxious 
to  have  a  talk  about  this  article  with  the  bearded  member, 
who  shared  his  views,  but  wanted  to  look  through  it  once 
more  before  doing  so. 


28  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

SWEARING  IN  THE  JURY. 

The  president,  having  looked  through  some  papers  and 
put  a  few  questions  to  the  usher  and  the  secretary,  gave  the 
order  for  the  prisoners  to  be  brought  in. 

The  door  behind  the  grating  was  instantly  opened,  and 
two  gendarmes,  with  caps  on  their  heads,  and  holding  naked 
swords  in  their  hands,  came  in,  followed  by  the  prisoners,  a 
red-haired,  freckled  man,  and  two  women.  The  man  wore 
a  prison  cloak,  which  was  too  long  and  too  wide  for  him. 
He  stuck  out  his  thumbs,  and  held  his  arms  close  to  his  sides, 
thus  keeping  the  sleeves,  which  were  also  too  long,  from 
slipping  over  his  hands.  Without  looking  at  the  judges  he 
gazed  steadfastly  at  the  form,  and  passing  to  the  other  side 
of  it,  he  sat  down  carefully  at  the  very  edge,  leaving  plenty 
of  room  for  the  others.  He  fixed  his  eyes  on  the  president, 
and  began  moving  the  muscles  of  his  cheeks,  as  if  whisper- 
ing something.  The  woman  who  came  next  was  also  dressed 
in  a  prison  cloak,  and  had  a  prison  kerchief  round  her  head. 
She  had  a  sallow  complexion,  no  eyebrows  or  lashes,  and 
very  red  eyes.  This  woman  appeared  perfectly  calm.  Hav- 
ing caught  her  cloak  against  something,  she  detached  it 
carefully,  without  any  haste,  and  sat  down. 

The  third  prisoner  was  Maslova. 

As  soon  as  she  appeared,  the  eyes  of  all  the  men  in  the 
court  turned  her  way,  and  remained  fixed  on  her  white  face, 
her  sparklingly-brilliant  black  eyes  and  the  swelling  bosom 
under  the  prison  cloak.  Even  the  gendarme  whom  she 
passed  on  her  way  to  her  seat  looked  at  her  fixedly  till  she 
sat  down,  and  then,  as  if  feeling  guilty,  hurriedly  turned 
away,  shook  himself,  and  began  staring  at  the  window  in 
front  of  him. 

The  president  paused  until  the  prisoners  had  taken  their 
seats,  and  when  Maslova  was  seated,  turned  to  the  secretary. 

Then  the  usual  procedure  commenced ;  the  counting  of 
the  jury,  remarks  about  those  who  had  not  come,  the  fixing 


ALL    SAT    DOWN    AGAIN    ON    THE    HIGH-BACKED    CHAIRS. 
Book  I.     Chapter  8. 


Resurrection  29 

of  the  fines  to  be  exacted  from  them,  the  decisions  concern- 
ing those  who  claimed  exemption,  the  appointing  of  reserve 
jurymen. 

Having  folded  up  some  bits  of  paper  and  put  them  in  one 
of  the  glass  vases,  the  president  turned  up  the  gold-em- 
broidered cuffs  of  his  uniform  a  little  way,  and  began  draw- 
ing the  lots,  one  by  one,  and  opening  them.  Nekhludoff  was 
among  the  jurymen  thus  drawn.  Then,  having  let  down 
his  sleeves,  the  president  requested  the  priest  to  swear  in 
the  jury. 

The  old  priest,  with  his  puffy,  red  face,  his  brown  gown, 
and  his  gold  cross  and  little  order,  laboriously  moving  his 
stiff  legs,  came  up  to  the  lectern  beneath  the  icon. 

The  jurymen  got  up,  and  crowded  towards  the  lectern. 

"  Come  up,  please,"  said  the  priest,  pulling  at  the  cross  on 
his  breast  with  his  plump  hand,  and  waiting  till  all  the  jury 
had  drawn  near.  When  they  had  all  come  up  the  steps  of 
the  platform,  the  priest  passed  his  bald,  grey  head  sideways 
through  the  greasy  opening  of  the  stole,  and,  having  re- 
arranged his  thin  hair,  he  again  turned  to  the  jury.  "  Now, 
raise  your  right  arms  in  this  way,  and  put  your  fingers  to- 
gether, thus,"  he  said,  with  his  tremulous  old  voice,  lifting 
his  fat,  dimpled  hand,  and  putting  the  thumb  and  two  first 
fingers  together,  as  if  taking  a  pinch  of  something.  "  Now, 
repeat  after  me,  '  I  promise  and  swear,  by  the  Almighty 
God,  by  His  holy  gospels,  and  by  the  life-giving  cross  of  our 
Lord,  that  in  this  work  which,'  "  he  said,  pausing  between 
each  sentence — "  don't  let  your  arm  down  ;  hold  it  like  this," 
he  remarked  Jto  a  young  man  who  had  lowered  his  arm — 
"  '  that  in  this  work  which     .     . 

The  dignified  man  with  the  whiskers,  the  colonel,  the 
merchant,  and  several  more  held  their  arms  and  fingers  as 
the  priest  required  of  them,  very  high,  very  exactly,  as  if 
they  liked  doing  it ;  others  did  it  unwillingly  and  carelessly. 
Some  repeated  the  words  too  loudly,  and  with  a  defiant  tone, 
as  if  they  meant  to  say,  "  In  spite  of  all,  I  will  and  shall 
speak."  Others  whispered  very  low,  and  not  fast  enough, 
and  then,  as  if  frightened,  hurried  to  catch  up  the  priest. 
Some  kept  their  fingers  tightly  together,  as  if  fearing  to 
drop  the  pinch  of  invisible  something  they  held ;  others  kept 
separating  and  folding  theirs.  Every  one  save  the  old  priest 
felt  awkward,  but  he  was  sure  he  was  fulfilling  a  very  use- 
ful and  important  duty. 


30  Resurrection 

After  the  swearing  in,  the  president  requested  the  jury  to 
choose  a  foreman,  and  the  jury,  thronging  to  the  door, 
passed  out  into  the  debating-room,  where  almost  all  of  them 
at  once  began  to  smoke  cigarettes.  Some  one  proposed  the 
dignified  man  as  foreman,  and  he  was  unanimously  ac- 
cepted. Then  the  jurymen  put  out  their  cigarettes  and  threw 
them  away  and  returned  to  the  court.  The  dignified  man  in- 
formed the  president  that  he  was  chosen  foreman,  and  all  sat 
down  again  on  the  high-backed  chairs. 

Everything  went  smoothly,  quickly,  and  not  without  a 
certain  solemnity.  And  this  exactitude,  order,  and  solem- 
nity evidently  pleased  those  who  took  part  in  it :  it  strength- 
ened the  impression  that  they  were  fulfilling  a  serious  and 
valuable  public  duty.    Nekhludoff,  too,  felt  this. 

As  soon  as  the  jurymen  were  seated,  the  president  made  a 
speech  on  their  rights,  obligations,  and  responsibilities. 
While  speaking  he  kept  changing  his  position ;  now  leaning 
on  his  right,  now  on  his  left  hand,  now  against  the  back, 
then  on  the  arms  of  his  chair,  now  putting  the  papers 
straight,  now  handling  his  pencil  and  paper-knife. 

According  to  his  words,  they  had  the  right  of  interrogat- 
ing the  prisoners  through  the  president,  to  use  paper  and 
pencils,  and  to  examine  the  articles  put  in  as  evidence.  Their 
duty  was  to  judge  not  falsely,  but  justly.  Their  respon- 
sibility meant  that  if  the  secrecy  of  their  discussion  were 
violated,  or  communications  were  established  with  outsiders, 
they  would  be  liable  to  punishment.  Every  one  listened 
with  an  expression  of  respectful  attention.  The  merchant, 
diffusing  a  smell  of  brandy  around  him,  and  restraining 
loud  hiccups,  approvingly  nodded  his  head  at  every  sen- 
tence. 


Resurrection  31 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   TRIAL — THE    PRISONERS    QUESTIONED. 

When  he  had  finished  his  speech,  the  president  turned  to 
the  male  prisoner. 

"  Simeon  Kartinkin,  rise." 

Simeon  jumped  up,  his  lips  continuing  to  move  nervously 
and  inaudibly. 

"  Your  name?  " 

"  Simon    Petrov    Kartinkin,"    he    said,    rapidly,    with    a 
cracked  voice,  having  evidently  prepared  the  answer. 

"  What  class  do  you  belong  to?  " 

"  Peasant." 

"  What  government,  district,  and  parish  ?  " 

"  Toula  Government,  Krapivinskia  district,  Koupianovski 
parish,  the  village  Borki." 

"  Your  age?  " 

"  Thirty-three ;  born  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight —  " 

"What  religion?" 

"  Of  the  Russian  religion,  orthodox." 

"Married?" 

"  Oh,  no,  sir." 

"  Your  occupation  ?  " 

"  I  had  a  place  in  the  Hotel  Mauritania." 

"  Have  you  ever  been  tried  before?  " 

"  I  never  got  tried  before,  because,  as  we  used  to  live 
formerly — " 

"  So  you  never  were  tried  before?  " 

"  God  forbid,  never." 

"  Have  you  received  a  copy  of  the  indictment?  " 

"  I  have." 

"  Sit  down." 

"  Euphemia  Ivanovna  Botchkova,"   said    the    president, 
turning  to  the  next  prisoner. 

But  Simon  continued  standing  in  front  of  Botchkova. 
'  Kartinkin,  sit  down  !  "     Kartinkin  continued  standing. 

"  Kartinkin,  sit  down !  "     But  Kartinkin  sat  down  only 


32  Resurrection 

when  the  usher,  with  his  head  on  one  side,  and  with  preter- 
naturally  wide-open  eyes,  ran  up,  and  said,  in  a  tragic  whis- 
per, "  Sit  down,  sit  down !  " 

Kartinkin  sat  down  as  hurriedly  as  he  had  risen,  wrap- 
ping his  cloak  round  him,  and  again  began  moving  his  lips 
silently. 

"Your  name?"  asked  the  president,  with  a  weary  sigh 
at  being  obliged  to  repeat  the  same  questions,  without  look- 
ing at  the  prisoner,  but  glancing  over  a  paper  that  lay  before 
him.  The  president  was  so  used  to  his  task  that,  in  order  to 
get  quicker  through  it  all,  he  did  two  things  at  a  time. 

Botchkova  was  forty-three  years  old,  and  came  from  the 
town  of  Kalomna.  She,  too,  had  been  in  service  at  the 
Hotel  Mauritania. 

"  I  have  never  been  tried  before,  and  have  received  a  copy 
of  the  indictment."  She  gave  her  answers  boldly,  in  a  tone 
of  voice  as  if  she  meant  to  add  to  each  answer,  "  And  I  don't 
care  who  knows  it,  and  I  won't  stand  any  nonsense." 

She  did  not  wait  to  be  told,  but  sat  down  as  soon  as  she 
had  replied  to  the  last  question. 

"Your  name?"  turning  abruptly  to  the  third  prisoner. 
"  You  will  have  to  rise,"  he  added,  softly  and  gently,  seeing 
that  Maslova  kept  her  seat. 

Maslova  got  up  and  stood,  with  her  chest  expanded, 
looking  at  the  president  with  that  peculiar  expression  of 
readiness  in  her  smiling  black  eyes. 

"  What  is  your  name?  " 

"  Lubov,"  she  said. 

Nekhludoff  had  put  on  his  pince-nez,  looking  at  the  pris- 
oners while  they  were  being  questioned. 

"  No,  it  is  impossible,"  he  thought,  not  taking  his  eyes  off 
the  prisoner.  'Lubov!  How  can  it  be?"  he  thought  to 
himself,  after  hearing  her  answer.  The  president  was  going 
to  continue  his  questions,  but  the  member  with  the  spec- 
tacles interrupted  him,  angrily  whispering  something.  The 
president  nodded,  and  turned  again  to  the  prisoner. 

"  How  is  this,"  he  said,  "  you  are  not  put  down  here  as 
Lubov?" 

The  prisoner  remained  silent. 

"  I  want  your  real  name." 

"  What  is  your  baptismal  name?  "  asked  the  angry  mem- 
ber. 

"  Formerly  I  used  to  be  called  Katerina." 


"  MASLOVA    I'.OT    UP    AND    STOOD    WITH    HER    CHES  l'    EXPANDED   " 

Book  I.     Chapter  q. 


Resurrection 


33 


"  No,  it  cannot  be,"  said  Nekhludoff  to  himself ;  and  yet 
he  was  now  certain  that  this  was  she,  that  same  girl,  half 
ward,  half  servant  to  his  aunts ;  that  Katusha,  with  whom 
he  had  once  been  in  love,  really  in  love,  but  whom  he  had 
betrayed  and  then  abandoned,  and  never  again  brought  to 
mind,  for  the  memory  would  have  been  too  painful,  would 
have  convicted  him  too  clearly,  proving  that  he  who  was  so 
proud  of  his  integrity  had  treated  this  woman  in  a  revolting, 
scandalous  way. 

Yes,  this  was  she.  He  now  clearly  saw  in  her  face  that 
strange,  indescribable  individuality  which  distinguishes 
every  face  from  all  others ;  something  peculiar,  all  its  own, 
not  to  be  found  anywhere  else.  In  spite  of  the  unhealthy 
pallor  and  the  fulness  of  the  face,  it  was  there,  this  sweet, 
peculiar  individuality ;  on  those  lips,  in  the  slight  squint  of 
her  eyes,  in  the  voice,  particularly  in  the  naive  smile,  and  in 
the  expression  of  readiness  on  the  face  and  figure. 

"  You  should  have  said  so,"  remarked  the  president,  again 
in  a  gentle  tone.    "  Your  patronymic?  " 

"  I  am  illegitimate." 

1  Well,  were  you  not  called  by  your  godfather's  name  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Mikhaelovna." 

"  And  what  is  it  she  can  be  guilty  of?  "  continued  Nekh- 
ludoff, in  his  mind,  unable  to  breathe  freely. 

'  Your  family  name — your  surname,  I  mean?  "  the  presi- 
dent went  on. 

'  They  used  to  call  me  by  my  mother's  surname,  Mas- 
lova." 

"  What  class  ?  " 

"  Meschanka."* 

"  Religion — orthodox  ?  " 

"  Orthodox." 

"  Occupation.    What  was  your  occupation?  " 

Maslova  remained  silent. 

"  What  was  your  employment  ?  " 

'  You  know  yourself,"  she  said,  and  smiled.  Then,  cast- 
ing a  hurried  look  round  the  room,  again  turned  her  eyes  on 
the  president. 

There  was  something  so  unusual  in  the  expression  of  her 
face,  so  terrible  and  piteous  in  the  meaning  of  the  words  she 
had  uttered,  in  this  smile,  and  in  the  furtive  glance  she  had 
cast  round  the  room,  that  the  president  was  abashed,  and  for 

*  The  lowest  town  class  or  grade. 


34 


Resurrection 


a  few  minutes  silence  reigned  in  the  court.  The  silence  was 
broken  by  some  one  among  the  public  laughing,  then  some- 
body said  "  Ssh,"  and  the  president  looked  up  and  con- 
tinued : 

"  Have  you  ever  been  tried  before  ?  " 

'  Never,"  answered  Maslova,  softly,  and  sighed. 

"  Have  you  received  a  copy  of  the  indictment  ?  " 

"  I  have,"  she  answered. 

"  Sit  down." 

The  prisoner  leant  back  to  pick  up  her  skirt  in  the  way 
a  fine  lady  picks  up  her  train,  and  sat  down,  folding  her 
small  white  hands  in  the  sleeves  of  her  cloak,  her  eyes  fixed 
on  the  president.    Her  face  was  calm  again. 

The  witnesses  were  called,  and  some  sent  away ;  the 
doctor  who  was  to  act  as  expert  was  chosen  and  called  into 
the  court. 

Then  the  secretary  got  up  and  began  reading  the  indict- 
ment.    He  read  distinctly,  though  he  pronounced  the  "  1 ' 
and  "  r  "  alike,  with  a  loud  voice,  but  so  quickly  that  the 
words  ran  into  one  another  and  formed  one  uninterrupted, 
dreary  drone. 

The  judges  bent  now  on  one,  now  on  the  other  arm  of 
their  chairs,  then  on  the  table,  then  back  again,  shut  and 
opened  their  eyes,  and  whispered  to  each  other.  One  of  the 
gendarmes  several  times  repressed  a  yawn. 

The  prisoner  Kartinkin  never  stopped  moving  his  cheeks. 
Botchkova  sat  quite  still  and  straight,  only  now  and  then 
scratching  her  head  under  the  kerchief. 

Maslova  sat  immovable,  gazing  at  the  reader ;  only  now 
and  then  she  gave  a  slight  start,  as  if  wishing  to  reply, 
blushed,  sighed  heavily,  and  changed  the  position  of  her 
hands,  looked  round,  and  again  fixed  her  eyes  on  the  reader. 

Nekhludoff  sat  in  the  front  row  on  his  high-backed  chair, 
without  removing  his  pincc-ncz,  and  looked  at  Maslova, 
while  a  complicated  and  fierce  struggle  was  going  on  in  his 
soul. 


Resurrection  35 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  TRIAL — THE   INDICTMENT. 

The  indictment  ran  as  follows : 

On  the  17th  of  January,  18 — ,  in  the  lodging-house  Mau- 
ritania, occurred  the  sudden  death  of  the  Second  Guild  mer- 
chant, Therapont  Emilianovich  Smelkoff,  of  Kourgan. 

The  local  police  doctor  of  the  fourth  district  certified  that 
death  was  due  to  rupture  of  the  heart,  owing  to  the  exces- 
sive use  of  alcoholic  liquids.  The  body  of  the  said  Smelkoff 
was  interred.  After  several  days  had  elapsed,  the  merchant 
Timokhin,  a  fellow-townsman  and  companion  of  the  said 
Smelkoff,  returned  from  St.  Petersburg,  and  hearing  the 
circumstances  that  accompanied  the  death  of  the  latter,  no- 
tified bis  suspicions  that  the  death  was  caused  by  poison, 
given  with  intent  to  rob  the  said  Smelkoff  of  his  money. 
This  suspicion  was  corroborated  on  inquiry,  which  proved : 

1.  That  shortly  before  his  death  the  said  Smelkoff  had  re- 
ceived the  sum  of  3,800  roubles  from  the  bank.  When  an 
inventory  of  the  property  of  the  deceased  was  made,  only 
312  roubles  and  16  copecks  were  found. 

2.  The  whole  day  and  night  preceding  his  death  the  said 
Smelkoff  spent  with  Lubka  (alias  Katerina  Maslova)  at 
her  home  and  in  the  lodging-house  Mauritania,  which  she 
also  visited  at  the  said  Smelkoff's  request  during  his  ab- 
sence, to  get  some  money,  which  she  took  out  of  his  port- 
manteau in  the  presence  of  the  servants  of  the  lodging-house 
Mauritania,  Euphemia  Botchkova  and  Simeon  Kartinkin, 
with  a  key  given  her  by  the  said  Smelkoff.  In  the  portman- 
teau opened  by  the  said  Maslova,  the  said  Botchkova  and 
Kartinkin  saw  packets  of  100- rouble  bank-notes. 

3.  On  the  said  Smelkoff's  return  to  the  lodging-house 
Mauritania,  together  with  Lubka,  the  latter,  in  accordance 
with  the  attendant  Kartinkin's  advice,  gave  the  said  Smel- 
koff some  white  powder  given  to  her  by  the  said  Kartinkin, 
dissolved  in  brandy. 

4.  The  next  morning  the  said    Lubka    (alias    Katerina 


36  Resurrection 

Maslova)  sold  to  her  mistress,  the  witness  Kitaeva,  a 
brothel-keeper,  a  diamond  ring  given  to  her,  as  she  alleged, 
by  the  said  Smelkoff. 

5.  The  housemaid  of  the  lodging-house  Mauritania, 
Euphemia  Botchkova,  placed  to  her  account  in  the  local 
Commercial  Bank  1,800  roubles.  The  post-mortem  exam- 
ination of  the  body  of  the  said  Smelkoff  and  the  chemical 
analysis  of  his  intestines  proved  beyond  doubt  the  presence 
of  poison  in  the  organism,  so  that  there  is  reason  to  believe 
that  the  said  Smelkoff's  death  was  caused  by  poisoning. 

When  cross-examined,  the  accused,  Maslova,  Botchkova, 
and  Kartinkin,  pleaded  not  guilty,  deposing — Maslova,  that 
she  had  really  been  sent  by  Smelkoff  from  the  brothel, 
where  she  "  works,"  as  she  expresses  it,  to  the  lodging- 
house  Mauritania  to  get  the  merchant  some  money,  and  that, 
having  unlocked  the  portmanteau  with  a  key  given  her  by  the 
merchant,  she  took  out  40  roubles,  as  she  was  told  to  do,  and 
that  she  had  taken  nothing  more ;  that  Botchkova  and  Kar- 
tinkin, in  whose  presence  she  unlocked  and  locked  the  port- 
manteau, could  testify  to  the  truth  of  the  statement. 

She  gave  this  further  evidence — that  when  she  came  to 
the  lodging-house  for  the  second  time  she  did,  at  the  insti- 
gation of  Simeon  Kartinkin,  give  Smelkoff  some  kind  of 
powder,  which  she  thought  was  a  narcotic,  in  a  glass  of 
brandy,  hoping  he  would  fall  asleep  and  that  she  would  be 
able  to  get  away  from  him ;  and  that  Smelkoff,  having 
beaten  her,  himself  gave  her  the  ring  when  she  cried  and 
threatened  to  go  away. 

The  accused,  Euphemia  Botchkova,  stated  that  she  knew 
nothing  about  the  missing  money,  that  she  had  not  even 
gone  into  Smelkoff's  room,  but  that  Lubka  had  been  busy 
there  all  by  herself;  that  if  anything  had  been  stolen,  it  must 
have  been  done  by  Lubka  when  she  came  with  the  mer- 
chant's key  to  get  his  money. 

At  this  point  Maslova  gave  a  start,  opened  her  mouth, 
and  looked  at  Botchkova.  "  When,"  continued  the  secre- 
tary, "the  receipt  for  1,800  roubles  from  the  bank  was 
shown  to  Botchkova,  and  she  was  asked  where  she  had  ob- 
tained the  money,  she  said  that  it  was  her  own  earnings  for 
12  years,  and  those  of  Simeon,  whom  she  was  going  to 
marry.  The  accused  Simeon  Kartinkin,  when  first  exam- 
ined, confessed  that  he  and  Botchkova,  at  the  instigation  of 
Maslova,  who  had  come  with  the  key  from  the  brothel,  had 


Resurrection  37 

stolen  the  money  and  divided  it  equally  among  themselves 
and  Maslova.  Here  Maslova  again  started,  half-rose  from 
her  seat,  and,  blushing  scarlet,  began  to  say  something,  but 
was  stopped  by  the  usher.  "  At  last,"  the  secretary  con- 
tinued, reading,  "  Kartinkin  confessed  also  that  he  had  sup- 
plied the  powders  in  order  to  get  Smelkoff  to  sleep.  When 
examined  the  second  time  he  denied  having  had  anything  to 
do  with  the  stealing  of  the  money  or  giving  Maslova  the 
powders,  accusing  her  of  having  done  it  alone." 

Concerning  the  money  placed  in  the  bank  by  Botchkova, 
he  said  the  same  as  she,  that  is,  that  the  money  was  given 
to  them  both  by  the  lodgers  in  tips  during  12  years'  service. 

The  indictment  concluded  as  follows : 

In  consequence  of  the  foregoing,  the  peasant  of  the 
village  Borki,  Simeon  Kartinkin,  33  years  of  age,  the 
meschanka  Euphemia  Botchkova,  43  years  of  age,  and  the 
meschanka  Katerina  Maslova,  27  years  of  age,  are  accused 
of  having  on  the  17th  day  of  January,  188 — ,  jointly  stolen 
from  the  said  merchant,  Smelkoff,  a  ring  and  money,  to  the 
value  of  2,500  roubles,  and  of  having  given  the  said  mer- 
chant, Smelkoff,  poison  to  drink,  with  intent  of  depriving 
him  of  life,  and  thereby  causing  his  death.  This  crime  is 
provided  for  in  clause  1,455  °f  the  Penal  Code,  §§  4  and  5. 


38 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE  TRIAL — MASLOVA  CROSS-EXAMINED. 

When  the  reading  of  the  indictment  was  over,  the  presi- 
dent, after  having  consulted  the  members,  turned  to  Kar- 
tinkin,  with  an  expression  that  plainly  said :  Now  we  shall 
find  out  the  whole  truth  down  to  the  minutest  detail. 

"  Peasant  Simeon  Kartinkin,"  he  said,  stooping  to  the 
left. 

Simeon  Kartinkin  got  up,  stretched  his  arms  down  his 
sides,  and  leaning  forward  with  his  whole  body,  continued 
moving  his  cheeks  inaudibly. 

'  You  are  accused  of  having  on  the  17th  January,  188 — , 
together  with  Euphemia  Botchkova  and  Katerina  Maslova, 
stolen  money  from  a  portmanteau  belonging  to  the  merchant 
Smelkoff,  and  then,  having  procured  some  arsenic,  per- 
suaded Katerina  Maslova  to  give  it  to  the  merchant  Smel- 
koff in  a  glass  of  brandy,  which  was  the  cause  of  Smelkoff  s 
death.  Do  you  plead  guilty?"  said  the  president,  stooping 
to  the  right. 

'  Not  nohow,  because  our  business  is  to  attend  on  the 
lodgers,  and " 

'  You'll  tell  us  that  afterwards.     Do  you  plead  guilty  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  sir.    I  only " 

"You'll  tell  us  that  afterwards.  Do  you  plead  guilty?" 
quietly  and  firmly  asked  the  president. 

"  Can't  do  such  a  thing,  because  that " 

The  usher  again  rushed  up  to  Simeon  Kartinkin,  and 
stopped  him  in  a  tragic  whisper. 

The  president  moved  the  hand  with  which  he  held  the 
paper  and  placed  the  elbow  in  a  different  position  with  an  air 
that  said :  "  This  is  finished,"  and  turned  to  Euphemia 
Botchkova. 

'  Euphemia  Botchkova,  you  are  accused  of  having,  on  the 
17th  of  January,  188 — ,  in  the  lodging-house  Mauritania, 
together  with  Simeon  Kartinkin  and  Katerina  Maslova, 
stolen  some  money  and  a  ring  out  of  the  merchant  Smel- 


Resurrection  39 

koff's  portmanteau,  and  having  shared  the  money  among 
yourselves,  given  poison  to  the  merchant  Smelkoff,  thereby 
causing  his  death.     Do  you  plead  guilty?  " 

"  I  am  not  guilty  of  anything,"  boldly  and  firmly  replied 
the  prisoner.  "  I  never  went  near  the  room,  but  when  this 
baggage  went  in  she  did  the  whole  business." 

"  You  will  say  all  this  afterwards,"  the  president  again 
said,  quietly  and  firmly.    "  So  you  do  not  plead  guilty?  ': 

"  I  did  not  take  the  money  nor  give  the  drink,  nor  go  into 
the  room.    Had  I  gone  in  I  should  have  kicked  her  out." 

"  So  you  do  not  plead  guilty  ?  " 

"  Never." 

"Very  well." 

"  Katerina  Maslova,"  the  president  began,  turning  to  the 
third  prisoner,  "  you  are  accused  of  having  come  from  the 
brothel  with  the  key  of  the  merchant  Smelkoff 's  portman- 
teau, money,  and  a  ring."  He  said  all  this  like  a  lesson 
learned  by  heart,  leaning  towards  the  member  on  his  left, 
who  was  whispering  into  his  ear  that  a  bottle  mentioned  in 
the  list  of  the  material  evidence  was  missing.  "  Of  having 
stolen  out  of  the  portmanteau  money  and  a  ring,"  he  re- 
peated, "  and  shared  it.  Then,  returning  to  the  lodging- 
house  Mauritania  with  Smelkoff,  of  giving  him  poison  in 
his  drink,  and  thereby  causing  his  death.  Do  you  plead 
guilty?" 

"  I  am  not  guilty  of  anything,"  she  began  rapidly.  "  As 
I  said  before  I  say  again,  I  did  not  take  it — I  did  not  take  it ; 
I  did  not  take  anything,  and  the  ring  he  gave  me  himself." 

'  You  do  not  plead  guilty  of  having  stolen  2,500 
roubles  ?  "  asked  the  president. 

"  I've  said  I  took  nothing  but  the  40  roubles." 

"  Well,  and  do  you  plead  guilty  of  having  given  the  mer- 
chant Smelkoff  a  powder  in  his  drink?  " 

"  Yes,  that  I  did.  Only  I  believed  what  they  told  me,  that 
they  were  sleeping  powders,  and  that  no  harm  could  come 
of  them.  I  never  thought,  and  never  wished.  .  .  .  God 
is  my  witness ;  I  say,  I  never  meant  this,"  she  said. 

"  So  you  do  not  plead  guilty  of  having  stolen  the  money 
and  the  ring  from  the  merchant  Smelkoff,  but  confess  that 
you  gave  him  the  powder?"  said  the  president. 

'  Well,  yes,  I  do  confess  this,  but  I  thought  they  were 
sleeping  powders.  I  only  gave  them  to  make  him  sleep ;  I 
never  meant  and  never  thought  of  worse." 


40  Resurrection 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  president,  evidently  satisfied  with 
the  results  gained.  "  Now  tell  us  how  it  all  happened,"  and 
he  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  put  his  folded  hands  on  the 
table.  "  Tell  us  all  about  it.  A  free  and  full  confession  will 
be  to  your  advantage." 

Maslova  continued  to  look  at  the  president  in  silence,  and 
blushing. 

"  Tell  us  how  it  happened." 

"  How  it  happened  ?  "  Maslova  suddenly  began,  speaking 
quickly.  "  I  came  to  the  lodging-house,  and  was  shown  into 
the  room.  He  was  there,  already  very  drunk."  She  pro- 
nounced the  word  he  with  a  look  of  horror  in  her  wide-open 
eyes.  ''  I  wished  to  go  away,  but  he  would  not  let  me."  She 
stopped,  as  if  having  lost  the  thread,  or  remembered  some- 
thing else. 

"Well,  and  then?" 

'  Well,  what  then  ?  I  remained  a  bit,  and  went  home 
again." 

At  this  moment  the  public  prosecutor  raised  himself  a  lit- 
tle, leaning  on  one  elbow  in  an  awkward  manner. 

'  You  would  like  to  put  a  question  ?  "  said  the  president, 
and  having  received  an  answer  in  the  affirmative,  he  made 
a  gesture  inviting  the  public  prosecutor  to  speak. 

"  I  want  to  ask,  was  the  prisoner  previously  acquainted 
with  Simeon  Kartinkin?"  said  the  public  prosecutor,  with- 
out looking  at  Maslova,  and,  having  put  the  question,  he 
compressed  his  lips  and  frowned. 

The  president  repeated  the  question.  Maslova  stared  at 
the  public  prosecutor,  with  a  frightened  look. 

"  With  Simeon?    Yes,"  she  said. 

"  I  should  like  to  know  what  the  prisoner's  acquaintance 
with  Kartinkin  consisted  in.    Did  they  meet  often  ?  " 

"Consisted  in?  .  .  .  He  invited  me  for  the  lodgers; 
it  was  not  an  acquaintance  at  all,"  answered  Maslova, 
anxiously  moving  her  eyes  from  the  president  to  the  public 
prosecutor  and  back  to  the  president. 

'  I  should  like  to  know  why  Kartinkin  invited  only  Mas- 
lova, and  none  of  the  other  girls,  for  the  lodgers?  "  said  the 
public  prosecutor,  with  half-closed  eyes  and  a  cunning, 
Mephistophelian  smile. 

"I  don't  know.  How  should  I  know?"  said  Maslova, 
casting  a  frightened  look  round,  and  fixing  her  eyes  for  a 
moment  on  Nekhludoff.     "  He  asked  whom  he  liked." 


Resurrection  41 

"  Is  it  possible  that  she  has  recognised  me  ?  "  thought 
Nekhludoff,  and  the  blood  rushed  to  his  face.  But  Maslova 
turned  away  without  distinguishing  him  from  the  others, 
and  again  fixed  her  eyes  anxiously  on  the  public  prosecutor. 

"  So  the  prisoner  denies  having  had  any  intimate  relations 
with  Kartinkin?  Very  well,  I  have  no  more  questions  to 
ask." 

And  the  public  prosecutor  took  his  elbow  off  the  desk,  and 
began  writing  something.  He  was  not  really  noting  any- 
thing down,  but  only  going  over  the  letters  of  his  notes  with 
a  pen,  having  seen  the  procureur  and  leading  advocates, 
after  putting  a  clever  question,  make  a  note,  with  which, 
later  on,  to  annihilate  their  adversaries. 

The  president  did  not  continue  at  once,  because  he  was 
consulting  the  member  with  the  spectacles,  whether  he  was 
agreed  that  the  questions  (which  had  all  been  prepared  be- 
forehand and  written  out)  should  be  put. 

"  Well !    What  happened  next  ?  "  he  then  went  on. 

"  I  came  home,''  looking  a  little  more  boldly  only  at  the 
president,  "  and  went  to  bed.  Hardly  had  I  fallen  asleep 
when  one  of  our  girls,  Bertha,  woke  me.  '  Go,  your  mer- 
chant has  come  again  !  '  He  " — she  again  uttered  the  word  he 
with  evident  horror — "  he  kept  treating  our  girls,  and  then 
wanted  to  send  for  more  wine,  but  his  money  was  all  gone, 
and  he  sent  me  to  his  lodgings  and  told  me  where  the  money 
was,  and  how  much  to  take.    So  I  went." 

The  president  was  whispering  to  the  member  on  his  left, 
but,  in  order  to  appear  as  if  he  had  heard,  he  repeated  her 
last  words. 

"  So  you  went.     Well,  what  next  ?  " 

"  I  went,  and  did  all  he  told  me ;  went  into  his  room.  I 
did  not  go  alone,  but  called  Simeon  Kartinkin  and  her,"  she 
said,  pointing  to  Botchkova. 

"  That's  a  lie ;  I  never  went  in,"  Botchkova  began,  but 
was  stopped. 

"  In  their  presence  I  took  out  four  notes,"  continued  Mas- 
lova, frowning,  without  looking  at  Botchkova. 

"  Yes,  but  did  the  prisoner  notice,"  again  asked  the  prose- 
cutor, "  how  much  money  there  was  when  she  was  getting 
out  the  40  roubles  ?  " 

Maslova  shuddered  when  the  prosecutor  addressed  her ; 
she  did  not  know  why  it  was,  but  she  felt  that  he  wished  her 
evil. 


42  Resurrection 

'  I  did  not  count  it,  but  only  saw  some  ioo-rouble  notes." 

'Ah!     The  prisoner  saw  ioo-rouble  notes.     That's  all?" 

'  Well,  so  you  brought  back  the  money,"  continued  the 
president,  looking  at  the  clock. 

"  I  did." 

"  Well,  and  then  ?  " 

'  Then  he  took  me  back  with  him,"  said  Maslova. 

'Well,  and  how  did  you  give  him  the  powder?  In  his 
drink?" 

'  How  did  I  give  it?    I  put  them  in  and  gave  it  him." 

"  Why  did  you  give  it  him  ?  " 

She  did  not  answer,  but  sighed  deeply  and  heavily. 

"  He  would  not  let  me  go,"  she  said,  after  a  moment's 
silence,  "  and  I  was  quite  tired  out,  and  so  I  went  out  into 
the  passage  and  said  to  Simeon,  '  If  he  would  only  let  me 
go,  I  am  so  tired/  And  he  said,  '  We  are  also  sick  of  him ; 
we  were  thinking  of  giving  him  a  sleeping  draught ;  he  will 
fall  asleep,  and  then  you  can  go.'  So  I  said  all  right.  I 
thought  they  were  harmless,  and  he  gave  me  the  packet.  I 
went  in.  He  was  lying  behind  the  partition,  and  at  once 
called  for  brandy.  I  took  a  bottle  of  '  fine  champagne  '  from 
the  table,  poured  out  two  glasses,  one  for  him  and  one  for 
myself,  and  put  the  powders  into  his  glass,  and  gave  it  him. 
Had  I  known,  how  could  I  have  given  them  to  him?  " 

'  Well,  and  how  did  the  ring  come  into  your  possession?  " 
asked  the  president.     "  When  did  he  give  it  you?  " 

'  That  was  when  we  came  back  to  his  lodgings.  I  wanted 
to  go  away,  and  he  gave  me  a  knock  on  the  head  and  broke 
my  comb.  I  got  angry  and  said  I'd  go  away,  and  he  took 
the  ring  off  his  finger  and  gave  it  to  me  so  that  I  should 
not  go,"  she  said. 

Then  the  public  prosecutor  again  slightly  raised  himself, 
and,  putting  on  an  air  of  simplicity,  asked  permission  to  put 
a  few  more  questions,  and,  having  received  it,  bending  his 
head  over  his  embroidered  collar,  he  said :  '  I  should  like 
to  know  how  long  the  prisoner  remained  in  the  merchant 
Smelkoff's  room." 

Maslova  again  seemed  frightened,  and  she  again  looked 
anxiously  from  the  public  prosecutor  to  the  president,  and 
said  hurriedly  : 

"  I  do  not  remember  how  long." 

'  Yes,  but  does  the  prisoner  remember  if  she  went  any- 
where else  in  the  lodging-house  after  she  left  Smelkoff  ?  " 


Resurrection  43 

Maslova  considered  for  a  moment.  '  Yes,  I  did  go  into 
an  empty  room  next  to  his." 

"  Yes,  and  why  did  you  go  in?  "  asked  the  public  prose- 
cutor, forgetting  himself,  and  addressing  her  directly. 

"  I  went  in  to  rest  a  bit,  and  to  wait  for  an  isvostchik." 

"  And  was  Kartinkin  in  the  room  with  the  prisoner,  or 
not?" 

"  He  came  in." 

"  Why  did  he  come  in  ?  " 

"  There  was  some  of  the  merchant's  brandy  left,  and  we 
finished  it  together." 

"  Oh,  finished  it  together.  Very  well !  And  did  the  pris- 
oner talk  to  Kartinkin,  and,  if  so,  what  about?  ': 

Maslova  suddenly  frowned,  blushed  very  red,  and  said, 
hurriedly,  "  What  about  ?  I  did  not  talk  about  anything, 
and  that's  all  I  know.  Do  what  you  like  with  me ;  I  am  not 
guilty,  and  that's  all." 

"  I  have  nothing  more  to  ask,"  said  the  prosecutor,  and, 
drawing  up  his  shoulders  in  an  unnatural  manner,  began 
writing  down,  as  the  prisoner's  own  evidence,  in  the  notes 
for  his  speech,  that  she  had  been  in  the  empty  room  with 
Kartinkin. 

There  was  a  short  silence. 

"  You  have  nothing  more  to  say?  " 

"  I  have  told  everything,"  she  said,  with  a  sigh,  and  sat 
down. 

Then  the  president  noted  something  down,  and,  having 
listened  to  something  that  the  member  on  his  left  whispered 
to  him,  he  announced  a  ten-minutes'  interval,  rose  hurriedly, 
and  left  the  court.  The  communication  he  had  received 
from  the  tall,  bearded  member  with  the  kindly  eyes  was  that 
the  member,  having  felt  a  slight  stomach  derangement, 
wished  to  do  a  little  massage  and  to  take  some  drops.  And 
this  was  why  an  interval  was  made. 

When  the  judges  had  risen,  the  advocates,  the  jury,  and 
the  witnesses  also  rose,  with  the  pleasant  feeling  that  part  of 
the  business  was  finished,  and  began  moving  in  different 
directions. 

Nekhludoff  went  into  the  jury's  room,  and  sat  down  by 
the  window. 


44  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XII. 

TWELVE    YEARS    BEFORE. 

"  Yes,  this  was  Katusha." 

The  relations  between  Nekhludoff  and  Katusha  had  been 
the  following : 

NekhludofT  first  saw  Katusha  when  he  was  a  student  in 
his  third  year  at  the  University,  and  was  preparing  an  essay 
on  land  tenure  during  the  summer  vacation,  which  he 
passed  with  his  aunts.  Until  then  he  had  always  lived,  in 
summer,  with  his  mother  and  sister  on  his  mother's  large 
estate  near  Moscow.  But  that  year  his  sister  had  married, 
and  his  mother  had  gone  abroad  to  a  watering-place,  and  he, 
having  his  essay  to  write,  resolved  to  spend  the  summer 
with  his  aunts.  It  was  very  quiet  in  their  secluded  estate 
and  there  was  nothing  to  distract  his  mind ;  his  aunts  loved 
their  nephew  and  heir  very  tenderly,  and  he,  too,  was  fond 
of  them  and  of  their  simple,  old-fashioned  life. 

During  that  summer  on  his  aunts'  estate,  Nekhludoff 
passed  through  that  blissful  state  of  existence  when  a  young 
man  for  the  first  time,  without  guidance  from  any  one  out- 
side, realises  all  the  beauty  and  significance  of  life,  and  the 
importance  of  the  task  allotted  in  it  to  man ;  when  he 
grasps  the  possibility  of  unlimited  advance  towards  per- 
fection for  one's  self  and  for  all  the  world,  and  gives  him- 
self to  this  task,  not  only  hopefully,  but  with  full  conviction 
of  attaining  to  the  perfection  he  imagines.  In  that  year, 
while  still  at  the  University,  he  had  read  Spencer's  Social 
Statics,  and  Spencer's  views  on  landholding  especially  im- 
pressed him,  as  he  himself  was  heir  to  large  estates.  His 
father  had  not  been  rich,  but  his  mother  had  received  10,000 
acres  of  land  for  her  dowry.  At  that  time  he  fully  realised 
all  the  cruelty  and  injustice  of  private  property  in  land,  and 
being  one  of  those  to  whom  a  sacrifice  to  the  demands  of 
conscience  gives  the  highest  spiritual  enjoyment,  he  decided 
not  to  retain  property  rights,  but  to  give  up  to  the  peasant 


Resurrection       ,  45 

labourers  the  land  he  had  inherited  from  his  father.  It  was 
on  this  land  question  he  wrote  his  essay. 

He  arranged  his  life  on  his  aunts'  estate  in  the  following 
manner.  He  got  up  very  early,  sometimes  at  three  o'clock, 
and  before  sunrise  went  through  the  morning  mists  to 
bathe  in  the  river,  under  the  hill.  He  returned  while  the 
dew  still  lay  on  the  grass  and  the  flowers.  Sometimes,  hav- 
ing finished  his  coffee,  he  sat  down  with  his  books  of  refer- 
ence and  his  papers  to  write  his  essay,  but  very  often,  in- 
stead of  reading  or  writing,  he  left  home  again,  and  wan- 
dered through  the  fields  and  the  woods.  Before  dinner  he 
lay  down  and  slept  somewhere  in  the  garden.  At  dinner  he 
amused  and  entertained  his  aunts  with  his  bright  spirits,, 
then  he  rode  on  horseback  or  went  for  a  row  on  the  river, 
and  in  the  evening  he  again  worked  at  his  essay,  or  sat  read- 
ing or  playing  patience  with  his  aunts. 

His  joy  in  life  was  so  great  that  it  agitated  him,  and  kept 
him  awake  many  a  night,  especially  when  it  was  moonlight, 
so  that  instead  of  sleeping  he  wandered  about  in  the  garden 
till  dawn,  alone  with  his  dreams  and  fancies. 

And  so,  peacefully  and  happily,  he  lived  through  the  first 
month  of  his  stay  with  his  aunts,  taking  no  particular  notice 
of  their  half-ward,  half-servant,  the  black-eyed,  quick-footed 
Katusha.  Then,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  Nekhludoff,  brought 
up  under  his  mother's  wing,  was  still  quite  pure.  If  a 
woman  figured  in  his  dreams  at  all  it  was  only  as  a  wife. 
All  the  other  women,  who,  according  to  his  ideas  he  could 
not  marry,  were  not  women  for  him,  but  human  beings. 

But  on  Ascension  Day  that  summer,  a  neighbour  of  his 
aunts',  and  her  family,  consisting  of  two  young  daughters,  a 
schoolboy,  and  a  young  artist  of  peasant  origin  who  was 
staying  with  them,  came  to  spend  the  day.  After  tea  they 
all  went  to  play  in  the  meadow  in  front  of  the  house,  where 
the  grass  had  already  been  mown.  They  played  at  the  game 
of  gorclki,  and  Katusha  joined  them.  Running  about  and 
changing  partners  several  times,  Nekhludoff  caught  Ka- 
tusha, and  she  became  his  partner.  Up  to  this  time  he  had 
liked  Katusha's  looks,  but  the  possibility  of  any  nearer  rela- 
tions with  her  had  never  entered  his  mind. 

"  Impossible  to  catch  those  two,"  said  the  merry  young 
artist,  whose  turn  it  was  to  catch,  and  who  could  run  very 
fast  with  his  short,  muscular  legs. 

"  You  !    And  not  catch  us  ?  "  said  Katusha. 


46 


Resurrection 


"  One,  two,  three,"  and  the  artist  clapped  his  hands.  Ka- 
tusha, hardly  restraining  her  laughter,  changed  places  with 
Nekhludoff,  behind  the  artist's  back,  and  pressing  his  large 
hand  with  her  little  rough  one,  and  rustling  with  her 
starched  petticoat,  ran  to  the  left.  Nekhludoff  ran  fast  to 
the  right,  trying  to  escape  from  the  artist,  but  when  he 
looked  round  he  saw  the  artist  running  after  Katusha,  who 
kept  well  ahead,  her  firm  young  legs  moving  rapidly.  There 
was  a  lilac  bush  in  front  of  them,  and  Katusha  made  a  sign 
with  her  head  to  Nekhludoff  to  join  her  behind  it,  for  if  they 
once  clasped  hands  again  they  were  safe  from  their  pursuer, 
that  being  a  rule  of  the  game.  He  understood  the  sign,  and 
ran  behind  the  bush,  but  he  did  not  know  that  there  was  a 
small  ditch  overgrown  with  nettles  there.  He  stumbled  and 
fell  into  the  nettles,  already  wet  with  dew,  stinging  his 
hands,  but  rose  immediately,  laughing  at  his  mishap. 

Katusha,  with  her  eyes  black  as  sloes,  her  face  radiant 
with  joy,  was  flying  towards  him,  and  they  caught  hold  of 
each  other's  hands. 

"Got  stung,  I  daresay?"  she  said,  arranging  her  hair 
with  her  free  hand,  breathing  fast  and  looking  straight  up 
at  him  with  a  glad,  pleasant  smile. 

'  I  did  not  know  there  was  a  ditch  here,"  he  answered, 
smiling  also,  and  keeping  her  hand  in  his.  She  drew  nearer 
to  him,  and  he  himself,  not  knowing  how  it  happened, 
stooped  towards  her.  She  did  not  move  away,  and  he 
pressed  her  hand  tight  and  kissed  her  on  the  lips. 

'  There  !  You've  done  it !  "  she  said  ;  and,  freeing  her 
hand  with  a  swift  movement,  ran  away  from  him.  Then, 
breaking  two  branches  of  white  lilac  from  which  the  blos- 
soms were  already  falling,  she  began  fanning  her  hot  face 
with  them ;  then,  with  her  head  turned  back  to  him,  she 
walked  away,  swaying  her  arms  briskly  in  front  of  her,  and 
joined  the  other  players. 

After  this  there  grew  up  between  Nekhludoff  and  Ka- 
tusha those  peculiar  relations  which  often  exist  between  a 
pure  young  man  and  girl  who  are  attracted  to  each  other. 

When  Katusha  came  into  the  room,  or  even  when  he  saw 
her  white  apron  from  afar,  everything  brightened  up  in 
Nekhludoff' s  eyes,  as  when  the  sun  appears  everything  be- 
comes more  interesting,  more  joyful,  more  important.  The 
whole  of  life  seemed  full  of  gladness.  And  she  felt  the 
same.    But  it  was  not  only  Katusha's  presence  that  had  this 


Resurrection  47 

effect  on  Nekhludoff.     The  mere  thought  that  Katusha  ex- 
isted (and  for  her  that  Nekhludoff  existed)  had  this  effect. 

When  he  received  an  unpleasant  letter  from  his  mother, 
or  could  not  get  on  with  his  essay,  or  felt  the  unreasoning 
sadness  that  young  people  are  often  subject  to,  he  had  only 
to  remember  Katusha  and  that  he  should  see  her,  and  it  all 
vanished. 

Katusha  had  much  work  to  do  in  the  house,  but  she  man- 
aged to  get  a  little  leisure  for  reading,  and  Nekhludoff  gave 
her  Dostoievsky  and  Tourgeneff  (whom  he  had  just  read 
himself)  to  read.  She  liked  Tourgeneff's  Lull  best.  They 
had  talks  at  moments  snatched  when  meeting  in  the  passage, 
on  the  veranda,  or  the  yard,  and  sometimes  in  the  room  of 
his  aunts'  old  servant,  Matrona  Pavlovna,  with  whom  he 
sometimes  used  to  drink  tea,  and  where  Katusha  used  to 
work. 

These  talks  in  Matrona  Pavlovna's  presence  were  the 
pleasantest.  When  they  were  alone  it  was  worse.  Their 
eyes  at  once  began  to  say  something  very  different  and  far 
more  important  than  what  their  mouths  uttered.  Their  lips 
puckered,  and  they  felt  a  kind  of  dread  of  something  that 
made  them  part  quickly.  These  relations  continued  between 
Nekhludoff  and  Katusha  during  the  whole  time  of  his  first 
visit  to  his  aunts'.  They  noticed  it,  and  became  frightened, 
and  even  wrote  to  Princess  Elena  Ivanovna,  Nekhludoff' s 
mother.  His  aunt,  Mary  Ivanovna,  was  afraid  Dmitri 
would  form  an  intimacy  with  Katusha ;  but  her  fears  were 
groundless,  for  Nekhludoff,  himself  hardly  conscious  of  it, 
loved  Katusha,  loved  her  as  the  pure  love,  and  therein  lay 
his  safety — his  and  hers.  He  not  only  did  not  feel  any  de- 
sire to  possess  her,  but  the  very  thought  of  it  filled  him  with 
horror.  The  fears  of  the  more  poetical  Sophia  Ivanovna, 
that  Dmitri,  with  his  thoroughgoing,  resolute  character, 
having  fallen  in  love  with  a  girl,  might  make  up  his  mind 
to  marry  her,  without  considering  either  her  birth  or  her 
station,  had  more  ground. 

Had  Nekhludoff  at  that  time  been  conscious  of  his  love 
for  Katusha,  and  especially  if  he  had  been  told  that  he  could 
on  no  account  join  his  life  with  that  of  a  girl  in  her  position, 
it  might  have  easily  happened  that,  with  his  usual  straight- 
forwardness, he  would  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
there  could  be  no  possible  reason  for  him  not  to  marry  any 
girl  whatever,  as  long  as  he  loved  her.    But  his  aunts  did  not 


48 


Resurrection 


mention  their  fears  to  him ;  and,  when  he  left,  he  was  still 
unconscious  of  his  love  for  Katusha.  He  was  sure  that 
what  he  felt  for  Katusha  was  only  one  of  the  manifestations 
of  the  joy  of  life  that  filled  his  whole  being,  and  that  this 
sweet,  merry  little  girl  shared  this  joy  with  him.  Yet,  when 
he  was  going  away,  and  Katusha  stood  with  his  aunts  in  the 
porch,  and  looked  after  him,  her  dark,  slightly-squinting 
eyes  filled  with  tears,  he  felt,  after  all,  that  he  was  leaving 
something  beautiful,  precious,  something  which  would 
never  reoccur.     And  he  grew  very  sad. 

"  Good-bye,  Katusha,"  he  said,  looking  across  Sophia 
Ivanovna's  cap  as  he  was  getting  into  the  trap.  '  Thank 
you  for  everything." 

"  Good-bye,  Dmitri  Ivanovitch,"  she  said,  with  her  pleas- 
ant, tender  voice,  keeping  back  the  tears  that  filled  her  eyes 
— and  ran  away  into  the  hall,  where  she  could  cry  in  peace. 


Resurrection  49 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

LIFE  IN  THE  ARMY. 

After  that  Nekhludoff  did  not  see  Katusha  for  more  than 
three  years.  When  he  saw  her  again  he  had  just  been 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  officer  and  was  going  to  join  his 
regiment.  On  the  way  he  came  to  spend  a  few  days  with 
his  aunts,  being  now  a  very  different  young  man  from  the 
one  who  had  spent  the  summer  with  them  three  years  be- 
fore. He  then  had  been  an  honest,  unselfish  lad,  ready  to 
sacrifice  himself  for  any  good  cause ;  now  he  was  depraved 
and  selfish,  and  thought  only  of  his  own  enjoyment.  Then 
God's  world  seemed  a  mystery  which  he  tried  enthusiasti- 
cally and  joyfully  to  solve ;  now  everything  in  life  seemed 
clear  and  simple,  defined  by  the  conditions  of  the  life  he 
was  leading.  Then  he  had  felt  the  importance  of,  and  had 
need  of  intercourse  with,  nature,  and  with  those  who  had 
lived  and  thought  and  felt  before  him — philosophers  and 
poets.  What  he  now  considered  necessary  and  important 
were  human  institutions  and  intercourse  with  his  comrades. 
Then  women  seemed  mysterious  and  charming — charming 
by  the  very  mystery  that  enveloped  them ;  now  the  purpose 
of  women,  all  women  except  those  of  his  own  family  and 
the  wives  of  his  friends,  was  a  very  definite  one :  women 
were  the  best  means  towards  an  already  experienced  en- 
joyment. Then  money  was  not  needed,  and  he  did  not  re- 
quire even  one-third  of  what  his  mother  allowed  him ;  but 
now  this  allowance  of  1,500  roubles  a  month  did  not  suffice, 
and  he  had  already  had  some  unpleasant  talks  about  it  with 
his  mother. 

Then  he  had  looked  on  his  spirit  as  the  /;  now  it  was  his 
healthy  strong  animal  /  that  he  looked  upon  as  himself. 

And  all  this  terrible  change  had  come  about  because  he 
had  ceased  to  believe  himself  and  had  taken  to  believing 
others.  This  he  had  done  because  it  was  too  difficult  to 
live  believing  one's  self ;  believing  one's  self,  one  had  to 
decide  every  question  not  in  favour  of  one's  own  animal 


§o  Resurrection 

life,  which  is  always  seeking  for  easy  gratifications,  but  al- 
most in  every  case  against  it.  Believing  others  there  was 
nothing  to  decide ;  everything  had  been  decided  already, 
and  decided  always  in  favour  of  the  animal  /  and  against 
the  spiritual.  Nor  was  this  all.  Believing  in  his  own  self 
he  was  always  exposing  himself  to  the  censure  of  those 
around  him ;  believing  others  he  had  their  approval.-  So, 
when  Nekhludoff  had  talked  of  the  serious  matters  of  life, 
of  God,  truth,  riches,  and  poverty,  all  round  him  thought  it 
out  of  place  and  even  rather  funny,  and  his  mother  and 
aunts  called  him,  with  kindly  irony,  notre  cher  philosophe. 
But  when  he  read  novels,  told  improper  anecdotes,  went  to 
see  funny  vaudevilles  in  the  French  theatre  and  gaily  re- 
peated the  jokes,  everybody  admired  and  encouraged  him. 
When  he  considered  it  right  to  limit  his  needs,  wore  an  old 
overcoat,  took  no  wine,  everybody  thought  it  strange  and 
looked  upon  it  as  a  kind  of  showing  off ;  but  when  he  spent 
large  sums  on  hunting,  or  on  furnishing  a  peculiar  and 
luxurious  study  for  himself,  everybody  admired  his  taste 
and  gave  him  expensive  presents  to  encourage  his  hobby. 
While  he  kept  pure  and  meant  to  remain  so  till  he  married 
his  friends  prayed  for  his  health,  and  even  his  mother  was 
not  grieved  but  rather  pleased  when  she  found  out  that  he 
had  become  a  real  man  and  had  gained  over  some  French 
woman  from  his  friend.  (As  to  the  episode  with  Katusha, 
the  princess  could  not  without  horror  think  that  he  might 
possibly  have  married  her.)  In  the  same  way,  when  Nekh- 
ludoff came  of  age,  and  gave  the  small  estate  he  had  in- 
herited from  his  father  to  the  peasants  because  he  consid- 
ered the  holding  of  private  property  in  land  wrong,  this 
step  filled  his  mother  and  relations  with  dismay  and  served 
as  an  excuse  for  making  fun  of  him  to  all  his  relatives.  He 
was  continually  told  that  these  peasants,  after  they  had  re- 
ceived the  land,  got  no  richer,  but,  on  the  contrary,  poorer, 
having  opened  three  public-houses  and  left  off  doing  any 
work.  But  when  Nekhludoff  entered  the  Guards  and  spent 
and  gambled  away  so  much  with  his  aristocratic  compan- 
ions that  Elena  Ivanovna,  his  mother,  had  to  draw  on  her 
capital,  she  was  hardly  pained,  considering  it  quite  natural 
and  even  good  that  wild  oats  should  be  sown  at  an  early 
age  and  in  good  company,  as  her  son  was  doing.  At  first 
Nekhludoff  struggled,  but  all  that  he  had  considered  good 
while  he  had  faith  in  himself  was  considered  bad  by  others, 


Resurrection  5 1 

and  what  he  had  considered  evil  was  looked  upon  as  good 
by  those  among  whom  he  lived,  and  the  struggle  grew  too 
hard.  And  at  last  Nekhludoff  gave  in,  i.e.,  left  off  believing 
himself  and  began  believing  others.  At  first  this  giving 
up  of  faith  in  himself  was  unpleasant,  but  it  did  not  long 
continue  to  be  so.  At  that  time  he  acquired  the  habit  of 
smoking,  and  drinking  wine,  and  soon  got  over  this  un- 
pleasant feeling  and  even  felt  great  relief. 

Nekhludoff,  with  his  passionate  nature,  gave  himself 
thoroughly  to  the  new  way  of  life  so  approved  of  by  all 
those  around,  and  he  entirely  stifled  the  inner  voice  which 
demanded  something  different.  This  began  after  he 
moved  to  St.  Petersburg,  and  reached  its  highest  point 
when  he  entered  the  army. 

Military  life  in  general  depraves  men.  It  places  them 
in  conditions  of  complete  idleness,  i.e.,  absence  of  all  useful 
work ;  frees  them  of  their  common  human  duties,  which  it 
replaces  by  merely  conventional  ones  to  the  honour  of  the 
regiment,  the  uniform,  the  flag;  and,  while  giving  them  on 
the  one  hand  absolute  power  over  other  men,  also  puts 
them  into  conditions  of  servile  obedience  to  those  of  higher 
rank  than  themselves. 

But  when,  to  the  usual  depraving  influence  of  military 
service  with  its  honours,  uniforms,  flags,  its  permitted  vio- 
lence and  murder,  there  is  added  the  depraving  influence 
of  riches  and  nearness  to  and  intercourse  with  members  of 
the  Imperial  family,  as  is  the  case  in  the  chosen  regiment 
of  the  Guards  in  which  all  the  officers  are  rich  and  of  good 
family,  then  this  depraving  influence  creates  in  the  men 
who  succumb  to  it  a  perfect  mania  of  selfishness.  And 
this  mania  of  selfishness  attacked  Nekhludoff  from  the  mo- 
ment he  entered  the  army  and  began  living  in  the  way  his 
companions  lived.  He  had  no  occupation  whatever  except 
to  dress  in  a  uniform,  splendidly  made  and  well  brushed  by 
other  people,  and,  with  arms  also  made  and  cleaned  and 
handed  to  him  by  others,  ride  to  reviews  on  a  fine  horse 
which  had  been  bred,  broken  in  and  fed  by  others.  There, 
with  other  men  like  himself,  he  had  to  wave  a  sword,  shoot 
off  guns,  and  teach  others  to  do  the  same.  He  had  no 
other  work,  and  the  highly-placed  persons,  young  and  old, 
the  Tsar  and  those  near  him,  not  only  sanctioned  his  oc- 
cupation but  praised  and  thanked  him  for  it. 

After  this  was  done,  it  was  thought  important  to  eat,  and 


52 


Resurrection 


particularly  to  drink,  in  officers'  clubs  or  the  salons  of  the 
best  restaurants,  squandering  large  sums  of  money,  which 
came  from  some  invisible  source ;  then  theatres,  ballets, 
women,  then  again  riding  on  horseback,  waving  of  swords 
and  shooting,  and  again  the  squandering  of  money,  the 
wine,  cards,  and  women.  This  kind  of  life  acts  on  military 
men  even  more  depravingly  than  on  others,  because  if  any 
other  than  a  military  man  lead  such  a  life  he  cannot  help 
being  ashamed  of  it  in  the  depth  of  his  heart.  A  military 
man  is,  on  the  contrary,  proud  of  a  life  of  this  kind,  espe- 
cially at  war  time,  and  Nekhludoff  had  entered  the  army 
just  after  war  with  the  Turks  had  been  declared.  '  We  are 
prepared  to  sacrifice  our  lives  at  the  wars,  and  therefore  a 
gay,  reckless  life  is  not  only  pardonable,  but  absolutely  nec- 
essary for  us,  and  so  we  lead  it." 

Such  were  Nekhludoff  s  confused  thoughts  at  this  period 
of  his  existence,  and  he  felt  all  the  time  the  delight  of  being 
free  of  the  moral  barriers  he  had  formerly  set  himself.  And 
the  state  he  lived  in  was  that  of  a  chronic  mania  of  selfish- 
ness. 

He  was  in  this  state  when,  after  three  years'  absence,  he 
came  again  to  visit  his  aunts. 


Resurrection  53 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    SECOND    MEETING    WITH    MASLOVA. 

Nekhludoft  went  to  visit  his  aunts  because  their  estate 
lay  near  the  road  he  had  to  travel  in  order  to  join  his  regi- 
ment, which  had  gone  forward,  because  they  had  very 
warmly  asked  him  to  come,  and  especially  because  he 
wanted  to  see  Katusha.  Perhaps  in  his  heart  he  had  al- 
ready formed  those  evil  designs  against  Katusha  which  his 
now  uncontrolled  animal  self  suggested  to  him,  but  he  did 
not  acknowledge  this  as  his  intention,  but  only  wished  to 
go  back  to  the  spot  where  he  had  been  so  happy,  to  see 
his  rather  funny,  but  dear,  kind-hearted  old  aunts,  who 
always,  without  his  noticing  it,  surrounded  him  with  an 
atmosphere  of  love  and  admiration,  and  to  see  sweet  Ka- 
tusha, of  whom  he  had  retained  so  pleasant  a  memory. 

He  arrived  at  the  end  of  March,  on  Good  Friday,  after 
the  thaw  had  set  in.  It  was  pouring  with  rain  so  that  he 
had  not  a  dry  thread  on  him  and  was  feeling  very  cold,  but 
yet  vigorous  and  full  of  spirits,  as  always  at  that  time.  "  Is 
she  still  with  them?"  he  thought,  as  he  drove  into  the  fa- 
miliar, old-fashioned  courtyard,  surrounded  by  a  low  brick 
wall,  and  now  filled  with  snow  off  the  roofs. 

He  expected  she  would  come  out  when  she  heard  the 
sledge  bells  but  she  did  not.  Two  bare-footed  women  with 
pails  and  tucked-up  skirts,  who  had  evidently  been  "scrub- 
bing the  floors,  came  out  of  the  side  door.  She  was  not  at 
the  front  door  either,  and  only  Tikhon,  the  man-servant, 
with  his  apron  on,  evidently  also  busy  cleaning,  came  out 
into  the  front  porch.  His  aunt  Sophia  Ivanovna  alone  met 
him  in  the  ante-room ;  she  had  a  silk  dress  on  and  a  cap  on 
her  head.  Both  aunts  had  been  to  church  and  had  re- 
ceived communion. 

'  Well,  this  is  nice  of  you  to  come,"  said  Sophia  Iva- 
novna, kissing  him.  "  Mary  is  not  well,  got  tired  in  church; 
we  have  been  to  communion." 


54  Resurrection 

"  I  congratulate  you,  Aunt  Sophia,"*  said  Nekhludoff, 
kissing  Sophia  Ivanovna's  hand.  "  Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon, 
I  have  made  you  wet." 

"  Go  to  your  room — why  you  are  soaking  wet.  Dear 
me,  you  have  got  moustaches !  .  .  .  Katusha ! 
Katusha  !    Get  him  some  coffee  ;  be  quick." 

"  Directly,"  came  the  sound  of  a  well-known,  pleasant 
voice  from  the  passage,  and  Nekhludoff's  heart  cried  out 
"She's  here!"  and  it  was  as  if  the  sun  had  come  out  from 
behind  the  clouds. 

Nekhludoff,  followed  by  Tikhon,  went  gaily  to  his  old 
room  to  change  his  things.  He  felt  inclined  to  ask  Tikhon 
about  Katusha ;  how  she  was,  what  she  was  doing,  was  she 
not  going  to  be  married?  But  Tikhon  was  so  respectful 
and  at  the  same  time  so  severe,  insisted  so  firmly  on  pour- 
ing the  water  out  of  the  jug  for  him,  that  Nekhludoff  could 
not  make  up  his  mind  to  ask  him  about  Katusha,  but  only 
inquired  about  Tikhon's  grandsons,  about  the  old  so-called 
'  brother's  "  horse,  and  about  the  dog  Polkan.  All  were 
alive  except  Polkan,  who  had  gone  mad  the  summer  before. 

When  he  had  taken  off  all  his  wet  things  and  just  begun 
to  dress  again,  Nekhludoff  heard  quick,  familiar  footsteps 
and  a  knock  at  the  door.  Nekhludoff  knew  the  steps  and 
also  the  knock.  No  one  but  she  walked  and  knocked  like 
that. 

Having  thrown  his  wet  greatcoat  over  his  shoulders,  he 
opened  the  door. 

"  Come  in."  It  was  she,  Katusha,  the  same,  only  sweeter 
than  before.  The  slightly  squinting  naive  black  eyes  looked 
up  in  the  same  old  way.  Now  as  then,  she  had  on  a  white 
apron.  She  brought  him  from  his  aunts  a  piece  of  scented 
soap,  with  the  wrapper  just  taken  off,  and  two  towels — one 
a  long  Russian  embroidered  one,  the  other  a  bath  towel. 
The  unused  soap  with  the  stamped  inscription,  the  towels, 
and  her  own  self,  all  were  equally  clean,  fresh,  undefiled  and 
pleasant.  The  irrepressible  smile  of  joy  at  the  sight  of  him 
made  the  sweet,  firm  lips  pucker  up  as  of  old. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Dmitri  Ivanovitch  ?  "  she  uttered  with 
difficulty,  her  face  suffused  with  a  rosy  blush. 

"  Good-morning!  How  do  you  do?  "  he  said,  also  blush- 
ing.    "  Alive  and  well?  " 

*  It  is  usual  in  Russia  to  congratulate  those  who  have  received 
communion. 


Resurrection  55 

"  Yes,  the  Lord  be  thanked.  And  here  is  your  favourite 
pink  soap  and  towels  from  your  aunts,"  she  said,  putting 
the  soap  on  the  table  and  hanging  the  towels  over  the  back 
of  a  chair. 

"  There  is  everything  here,"  said  Tikhon,  defending  the 
visitor's  independence,  and  pointing  to  NekhludofFs  open 
dressing  case  filled  with  brushes,  perfume,  fixatoire,  a  great 
many  bottles  with  silver  lids  and  all  sorts  of  toilet  ap- 
pliances. 

'  Thank  my  aunts,  please.  Oh,  how  glad  I  am  to  be 
here,"  said  Nekhludofr,  his  heart  filling  with  light  and  ten- 
derness as  of  old. 

She  only  smiled  in  answer  to  these  words,  and  went  out. 

The  aunts,  who  had  always  loved  Nekhludofr,  welcomed 
him  this  time  more  warmly  than  ever.  Dmitri  was  going  to 
the  war,  where  he  might  be  wounded  or  killed,  and  this 
touched  the  old  aunts. 

Nekhludoff  had  arranged  to  stay  only  a  day  and  night 
with  his  aunts,  but  when  he  had  seen  Katusha  he  agreed  to 
stay  over  Easter  with  them  and  telegraphed  to  his  friend 
Schonbock,  whom  he  was  to  have  joined  in  Odessa,  that  he 
should  come  and  meet  him  at  his  aunts'  instead. 

As  soon  as  he  had  seen  Katusha  NekhludofFs  old  feel- 
ings toward  her  awoke  again.  Now,justasthen,he  could  not 
see  her  white  apron  without  getting  excited ;  he  could  not 
listen  to  her  steps,  her  voice,  her  laugh,  without  a  feeling 
of  joy  ;  he  could  not  look  at  her  eyes,  black  as  sloes,  without 
a  feeling  of  tenderness,  especially  when  she  smiled ;  and, 
above  all,  he  could  not  notice  without  agitation  how  she 
blushed  when  they  met.  He  felt  he  was  in  love,  but  not 
as  before,  when  this  love  was  a  kind  of  mystery  to  him  and 
he  would  not  own,  even  to  himself,  that  he  loved,  and  when 
he  was  persuaded  that  one  could  love  only  once;  now  he 
knew  he  was  in  love  and  was  glad  of  it,  and  knew  dimly 
what  this  love  consisted  of  and  what  it  might  lead  to, 
though  he  sought  to  conceal  it  even  from  himself.  In 
Nekhludoff,  as  in  every  man,  there  were  two  beings :  one 
the  spiritual,  seeking  only  that  kind  of  happiness  for  him- 
self which  should  tend  towards  the  happiness  of  all ;  the 
other,  the  animal  man,  seeking  only  his  own  happiness, 
and  ready  to  sacrifice  to  it  the  happiness  of  the  rest  of  the 
world.  At  this  period  of  his  mania  of  self-love  brought 
on  by  life  in  Petersburg  and  in  the  army,  this  animal  man 


56 


Resurrection 


ruled  supreme  and  completely  crushed  the  spiritual  man  in 
him. 

But  when  he  saw  Katusha  and  experienced  the  same  feel- 
ings as  he  had  had  three  years  before,  the  spiritual  man  in 
him  raised  its  head  once  more  and  began  to  assert  its 
rights.  And  up  to  Easter,  during  two  whole  days,  an  un- 
conscious, ceaseless  inner  struggle  went  on  in  him. 

He  knew  in  the  depths  of  his  soul  that  he  ought  to  go 
away,  that  there  was  no  real  reason  for  staying  on  with  his 
aunts,  knew  that  no  good  could  come  of  it ;  and  yet  it  was 
so  pleasant,  so  delightful,  that  he  did  not  honestly  acknowl- 
edge the  facts  to  himself  and  stayed  on.  On  Easter  eve, 
the  priest  and  the  deacon  who  came  to  the  house  to  say 
mass  had  had  (so  they  said)  the  greatest  difficulty  in  get- 
ting over  the  three  miles  that  lay  between  the  church  and 
the  old  ladies'  house,  coming  across  the  puddles  and  the 
bare  earth  in  a  sledge. 

Nekhludoff  attended  the  mass  with  his  aunts  and  the  ser- 
vants, and  kept  looking  at  Katusha,  who  was  near  the  door 
and  brought  in  the  censers  for  the  priests.  Then  having 
given  the  priests  and  his  aunts  the  Easter  kiss,  though  it 
was  not  midnight  and  therefore  not  Easter  yet,  he  was  al- 
ready going  to  bed  when  he  heard  the  old  servant  Matrona 
Pavlovna  preparing  to  go  to  the  church  to  get  the  koulitch 
and  pdski*  blest  after  the  midnight  service.  "  I  shall  go 
too,"  he  thought. 

The  road  to  the  church  was  impassable  either  in  a  sledge 
or  on  wheels,  so  Nekhludoff,  who  behaved  in  his  aunts' 
house  just  as  he  did  at  home,  ordered  the  old  horse,  "  the 
brother's  horse,"  to  be  saddled,  and  instead  of  going  to  bed 
he  put  on  his  gay  uniform,  a  pair  of  tight-fitting  riding 
breeches  and  his  overcoat,  and  got  on  the  old  over-fed  and 
heavy  horse,  which  neighed  continually  all  the  way  as  he 
rode  in  the  dark  through  the  puddles  and  snow  to  the 
church. 

*  Easter  cakes. 


Resurrection  $J 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE    EARLY    MASS. 

For  Nekhludoff  this  early  mass  remained  for  ever  after 
one  of  the  brightest  and  most  vivid  memories  of  his  life. 
When  he  rode  out  of  the  darkness,  broken  only  here  and 
there  by  patches  of  white  snow,  into  the  churchyard  il- 
luminated by  a  row  of  lamps  around  the  church,  the  ser- 
vice had  already  begun. 

The  peasants,  recognising  Mary  Ivanovna's  nephew,  led 
his  horse,  which  was  pricking  up  its  ears  at  the  sight  of  the 
lights,  to  a  dry  place  where  he  could  get  off,  put  it  up  for 
him,  and  showed  him  into  the  church,  which  was  full  of 
people.  On  the  right  stood  the  peasants ;  the  old  men  in 
home-spun  coats,  and  clean  white  linen  bands*  wrapped 
round  their  legs,  the  young  men  in  new  cloth  coats,  bright- 
coloured  belts  round  their  waists,  and  top-boots. 

On  the  left  stood  the  women,  with  red  silk  kerchiefs  on 
their  heads,  black  velveteen  sleeveless  jackets,  bright  red 
shirt-sleeves,  gay-coloured  green,  blue,  and  red  skirts,  and 
thick  leather  boots.  The  old  women,  dressed  more  quietly, 
stood  behind  them,  with  white  kerchiefs,  home-spun  coats, 
old-fashioned  skirts  of  dark  home-spun  material,  and  shoes 
on  their  feet.  Gaily-dressed  children,  their  hair  well  oiled, 
went  in  and  out  among  them. 

The  men,  making  the  sign  of  the  cross,  bowed  down  and 
raised  their  heads  again,  shaking  back  their  hair. 

The  women,  especially  the  old  ones,  fixed  their  eyes  on 
an  icon  surrounded  with  candles  and  made  the  sign  of  the 
cross,  firmly  pressing  their  folded  fingers  to  the  kerchief  on 
their  foreheads,  to  their  shoulders,  and  their  stomachs,  and, 
whispering  something,  stooped  or  knelt  down.  The  chil- 
dren, imitating  the  grown-up  people,  prayed  earnestly  when 
they  knew  that  they  were  being  observed.  The  gilt  case 
containing  the  icon  glittered,  illuminated  on  all  sides  by  tall 

*  Long  strips  of  linen  are  worn  by  the  peasants  instead  of  stock- 
ings. 


58  Resurrection 

candles  ornamented  with  golden  spirals.  The  candelabra 
was  filled  with  tapers,  and  from  the  choir  sounded  most 
merry  tunes  sung  by  amateur  choristers,  with  bellowing 
bass  and  shrill  boys'  voices  among  them. 

Nekhludoff  passed  up  to  the  front.  In  the  middle  of  the 
church  stood  the  aristocracy  of  the  place :  a  landed  proprie- 
tor, with  his  wife  and  son  (the  latter  dressed  in  a  sailor's 
suit),  the  police  officer,  the  telegraph  clerk,  a  tradesman  in 
top-boots,  and  the  village  elder,  with  a  medal  on  his  breast ; 
and  to  the  right  of  the  ambo,  just  behind  the  landed  pro- 
prietor's wife,  stood  Matrona  Pavlovna  in  a  lilac  dress  and 
fringed  shaw^  and  Katusha  in  a  white  dress  with  a  tucked 
bodice,  blue  sash,  and  red  bow  in  her  black  hair. 

Everything  seemed  festive,  solemn,  bright,  and  beauti- 
ful :  the  priest  in  his  silver  cloth  vestments  with  gold 
crosses ;  the  deacon,  the  clerk  and  chanter  in  their  silver 
and  gold  surplices ;  the  amateur  choristers  in  their  best 
clothes,  with  their  well-oiled  hair ;  the  merry  tunes  of  the 
holiday  hymns  that  sounded  like  dance  music ;  and  the 
continual  blessing  of  the  people  by  the  priests,  who  held 
candles  decorated  with  flowers,  and  repeated  the  cry  of 
"  Christ  is  risen !  "  "  Christ  is  risen !  "  All  was  beautiful ; 
but,  above  all,  Katusha,  in  her  white  dress,  blue  sash,  and 
the  red  bow  on  her  black  head,  her  eyes  beaming  with  rap- 
ture. 

NekhludofT  knew  that  she  felt  his  presence  without  look- 
ing at  him.  He  noticed  this  as  he  passed  her,  walking  up 
to  the  altar.  He  had  nothing  to  tell  her,  but  he  invented 
something  to  say  and  whispered  as  he  passed  her :  "  Aunt 
told  me  that  she  would  break  her  fast  after  the  late  mass." 

The  young  blood  rushed  up  to  Katusha's  sweet  face,  as  it 
always  did  when  she  looked  at  him.  The  black  eyes,  laugh- 
ing and  full  of  joy,  gazed  naively  up  and  remained  fixed  on 
Nekhludoff. 

"  I  know,"  she  said,  with  a  smile. 

At  this  moment  the  clerk  was  going  out  with  a  copper 
coffee-pot*  of  holy  water  in  his  hand,  and,  not  noticing 
Katusha,  brushed  her  with  his  surplice.  Evidently  he 
brushed  against  Katusha  through  wishing  to  pass  Nekhlu- 
doff at  a  respectful  distance,  and  Nekhludoff  was  surprised 
that  he,  the  clerk,  did  not  understand  that  everything  here, 
yes,  and  in  all  the  world,  only  existed  for  Katusha,  and  that 

*  Coffee-pots  are  often  used  for  holding  holy  water  in  Russia. 


Resurrection  59 

everything  else  might  remain  unheeded,  only  not  she,  be- 
cause she  was  the  centre  of  all.  For  her  the  gold  glittered 
round  the  icons ;  for  her  all  these  candles  in  candelabra  and 
candlesticks  were  alight ;  for  her  were  sung  these  joyful 
hymns,  "  Behold  the  Passover  of  the  Lord,"  "  Rejoice,  O 
ye  people !  "  All — all  that  was  good  in  the  world  was  for 
her.  And  it  seemed  to  him  that  Katusha  was  aware  that  it 
was  all  for  her  when  he  looked  at  her  well-shaped  figure, 
the  tucked  white  dress,  the  wrapt,  joyous  expression  of  her 
face,  by  which  he  knew  that  just  exactly  the  same  that  was 
singing  in  his  own  soul  was  also  singing  in  hers. 

In  the  interval  between  the  early  and  the  late  mass 
Nekhludoff  left  the  church.  The  people  stood  aside  to  let 
him  pass,  and  bowed.  Some  knew  him ;  others  asked  who 
he  was. 

He  stopped  on  the  steps.  The  beggars  standing  there 
came  clamouring  round  him,  and  he  gave  them  all  the 
change  he  had  in  his  purse  and  went  down.  It  was  dawn- 
ing, but  the  sun  had  not  yet  risen.  The  people  grouped 
round  the  graves  in  the  churchyard.  Katusha  had  re- 
mained inside.     Nekhludoff  stood  waiting  for  her. 

The  people  continued  coming  out,  clattering  with  their 
nailed  boots  on  the  stone  steps  and  dispersing  over  the 
churchyard.  A  very  old  man  with  shaking  head,  his  aunts' 
cook,  stopped  Nekhludoff  in  order  to  give  him  the  Easter 
kiss,  his  old  wife  took  an  egg,  dyed  yellow,  out  of  her  hand- 
kerchief and  gave  it  to  Nekhludoff,  and  a  smiling  young 
peasant  in  a  new  coat  and  green  belt  also  came  up. 

"  Christ  is  risen,"  he  said,  with  laughing  eyes,  and  com- 
ing close  to  Nekhludoff  he  enveloped  him  in  his  peculiar 
but  pleasant  peasant  smell,  and,  tickling  him  with  his  curly 
beard,  kissed  him  three  times  straight  on  the  mouth  with 
his  firm,  fresh  lips. 

While  the  peasant  was  kissing  Nekhludoff  and  giving 
him  a  dark  brown  egg,  the  lilac  dress  of  Matrona  Pavlovna 
and  the  dear  black  head  with  the  red  bow  appeared. 

Katusha  caught  sight  of  him  over  the  heads  of  those  in 
front  of  her,  and  he  saw  how  her  face  brightened  up. 

She  had  come  out  with  Matrona  Pavlovna  on  to  the 
porch,  and  stopped  there  distributing  alms  to  the  beggars. 
A  beggar  with  a  red  scab  in  place  of  a  nose  came  up  to 
Katusha.  She  gave  him  something,  drew  nearer  him,  and, 
evincing  no  sign  of  disgust,  but  her  eyes  still  shining  with 


60  Resurrection 

joy,  kissed  him  three  times.  And  while  she  was  doing  this 
her  eyes  met  Nekhludoff's  with  a  look  as  if  she  were  asking, 
"Is  this  that  I  am  doing  right?"  'Yes,  dear,  yes,  it  is 
right ;  everything  is  right,  everything  is  beautiful.     I  love  !" 

They  came  down  the  steps  of  the  porch,  and  he  came  up 
to  them. 

He  did  not  mean  to  give  them  the  Easter  kiss,  but  only 
to  be  nearer  to  her.  Matrona  Pavlovna  bowed  her  head, 
and  said  with  a  smile,  "  Christ  is  risen !  "  and  her  tone  im- 
plied, "  To-day  we  are  all  equal."  She  wiped  her  mouth 
with  her  handkerchief  rolled  into  a  ball  and  stretched  her 
lips  towards  him. 

"  He  is,  indeed,"  answered  Nekhludoff,  kissing  her. 
Then  he  looked  at  Katusha ;  she  blushed,  and  drew  nearer. 
"  Christ  is  risen,  Dmitri  Ivanovitch."  He  is  risen,  in- 
deed," answered  Nekhludoff,  and  they  kissed  twice, 
then  paused  as  if  considering  whether  a  third  kiss  were 
necessary,  and,  having  decided  that  it  was,  kissed  a  third 
time  and  smiled. 

"  You  are  going  to  the  priests  ?"  asked  Nekhludoff. 

"  No,  we  shall  sit  out  here  a  bit,  Dmitri  Ivanovitch,"  said 
Katusha  with  effort,  as  if  she  had  accomplished  some  joy- 
ous task,  and,  her  whole  chest  heaving  with  a  deep  sigh, 
she  looked  straight  in  his  face  with  a  look  of  devotion,  vir- 
gin purity,  and  love,  in  her  very  slightly  squinting  eyes. 

In  the  love  between  a  man  and  a  woman  there  always 
comes  a  moment  when  this  love  has  reached  its  zenith — a 
moment  when  it  is  unconscious,  unreasoning,  and  with 
nothing  sensual  about  it.  Such  a  moment  had  come  for 
Nekhludoff  on  that  Easter  eve.  When  he  brought  Ka- 
tusha back  to  his  mind,  now,  this  moment  veiled  all  else; 
the  smooth  glossy  black  head,  the  white  tucked  dress 
closely  fitting  her  graceful  maidenly  form,  her,  as  yet,  un- 
developed bosom,  the  blushing  cheeks,  the  tender  shining 
black  eyes  with  their  slight  squint  heightened  by  the  sleep- 
less night,  and  her  whole  being  stamped  with  those  two 
marked  features,  purity  and  chaste  love,  love  not  only  for 
him  (he  knew  that),  but  for  everybody  and  everything,  not 
for  the  good  alone,  but  for  all  that  is  in  the  world,  even 
for  that  beggar  whom  she  had  kissed. 

He  knew  she  had  that  love  in  her  because  on  that  night 
and  morning  he  was  conscious  of  it  in  himself,  and  con- 
scious that  in  this  love  he  became  one  with  her.    Ah !  if  it 


Resurrection  61 

had  all  stopped  there,  at  the  point  it  had  reached  that  night. 
"  Yes,  all  that  horrible  business  had  not  yet  happened  on 
that  Easter  eve !  "  he  thought,  as  he  sat  by  the  window  of 
the  jurymen's  room. 


62  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE   FIRST   STEP. 

When  he  returned  from  church  Nekhludoff  broke  the 
fast  with  his  aunts  and  took  a  glass  of  spirits  and  some  wine, 
having  got  into  that  habit  while  with  his  regiment,  and 
when  he  reached  his  room  fell  asleep  at  once,  dressed  as  he 
was.  He  was  awakened  by  a  knock  at  the  door.  He  knew 
it  was  her  knock,  and  got  up,  rubbing  his  eyes  and  stretch- 
ing himself. 

'  Katusha,  is  it  you?   Come  in,"  said  he. 
She  opened  the  door. 

''  Dinner  is  ready,"  she  said.  She  still  had  on  the  same 
white  dress,  but  not  the  bow  in  her  hair.  She  looked  at 
him  with  a  smile,  as  if  she  had  communicated  some  very 
good  news  to  him. 

'  I   am   coming,"   he  answered,  as   he   rose,   taking  his 
comb  to  arrange  his  hair. 

She  stood  still  for  a  minute,  and  he,  noticing  it,  threw 
down  his  comb  and  made  a  step  towards  her,  but  at  that 
very  moment  she  turned  suddenly  and  went  with  quick 
light  steps  along  the  strip  of  carpet  in  the  middle  of  the 
passage. 

'  Dear  me,  what  a  fool  I  am,"  thought  Nekhludoff. 
'  Why  did  I  not  stop  her?"  What  he  wanted  her  for  he  did 
not  know  himself,  but  he  felt  that  when  she  came  into  his 
room  something  should  have  been  done,  something  that  is 
generally  done  on  such  occasions,  and  that  he  had  left  it 
undone. 

"  Katusha,  wait,"  he  said. 

'  What  do  you  want?  "  she  said,  stopping. 

'  Nothing,  only "  and,  with  an  effort,  remembering 

how  men  in  his  position  generally  behave,  he  put  his  arm 
round  her  waist. 

She  stood  still  and  looked  into  his  eyes. 

'  Don't,  Dmitri  Ivanovitch,  you  must    not,"    she    said, 
blushing  to  tears  and  pushing  away  his  arm  with  her  strong 


> 


ft 


p. 
<s 

o 


o 
o 

« 


o 

Q 
_ 

w 
z 


Resurrection  63 

hard  hand.  Nekhludoff  let  her  go,  and  for  a  moment  he 
felt  not  only  confused  and  ashamed  but  disgusted  with  him- 
self. He  should  now  have  believed  himself,  and  then  he 
would  have  known  that  this  confusion  and  shame  were 
caused  by  the  best  feelings  of  his  soul  demanding  to  be  set 
free ;  but  he  thought  it  was  only  his  stupidity  and  that  he 
ought  to  behave  as  every  one  else  did.  He  caught  her  up 
and  kissed  her  on  the  neck. 

This  kiss  was  very  different  from  that  first  thoughtless  kiss 
behind  the  lilac  bush,  and  very  different  to  the  kiss  this 
morning  in  the  churchyard.  This  was  a  dreadful  kiss,  and 
she  felt  it. 

"  Oh,  what  are  you  doing?"  she  cried,  in  a  tone  as  if  he 
had  irreparably  broken  something  of  priceless  value,  and 
ran  quickly  away. 

He  came  into  the  dining-room.  His  aunts,  elegantly 
dressed,  their  family  doctor,  and  a  neighbour  were  already 
there.  Everything  seemed  so  very  ordinary,  but  in  Nekh- 
ludoff a  storm  was  raging.  He  understood  nothing  of  what 
was  being  said  and  gave  wrong  answers,  thinking  only  of 
Katusha.  .  The  sound  of  her  steps  in  the  passage  brought 
back  the  thrill  of  that  last  kiss  and  he  could  think  of  noth- 
ing else.  When  she  came  into  the  room  he,  without  look- 
ing round,  felt  her  presence  with  his  whole  being  and  had 
to  force  himself  not  to  look  at  her. 

After  dinner  he  at  once  went  into  his  bedroom  and  for  a 
long  time  walked  up  and  down  in  great  excitement,  listening 
to  every  sound  in  the  house  and  expecting  to  hear  her  steps. 
The  animal  man  inside  him  had  now  not  only  lifted  its  head, 
but  had  succeeded  in  trampling  under  foot  the  spiritual  man 
of  the  days  of  his  first  visit,  and  even  of  that  every  morning. 
That  dreadful  animal  man  alone  now  ruled  over  him. 

Though  he  was  watching  for  her  all  day  he  could  not 
manage  to  meet  her  alone.  She  was  probably  trying  to 
evade  him.  In  the  evening,  however,  she  was  obliged  to  go 
into  the  room  next  to  his.  The  doctor  had  been  asked  to 
stay  the  night,  and  she  had  to  make  his  bed.  When  he  heard 
her  go  in  Nekhludoff  followed  her,  treading  softly  and  hold- 
ing his  breath  as  if  he  were  going  to  commit  a  crime. 

She  was  putting  a  clean  pillow-case  on  the  pillow,  holding 
it  by  two  of  its  corners  with  her  arms  inside  the  pillow-case. 
She  turned  round  and  smiled,  not  a  happy,  joyful  smile  as 
before,  but  in  a  frightened,  piteous  way.     The  smile  seemed 


64 


Resurrection 


to  tell  him  that  what  he  was  doing  was  wrong.  He  stopped 
for  a  moment.  There  was  still  the  possibility  of  a  struggle. 
The  voice  of  his  real  love  for  her,  though  feebly,  was  still 
speaking  of  her,  her  feelings,  her  life.  Another  voice  was 
saying,  "  Take  care !  don't  let  the  opportunity  for  your  own 
happiness,  your  own  enjoyment,  slip  by!  "  And  this  second 
voice  completely  stifled  the  first.  He  went  up  to  her  with 
determination,  and  a  terrible,  ungovernable  animal  passion 
took  possession  of  him. 

With  his  arm  round  he  made  her  sit  down  on  the  bed ; 
and  feeling  that  there  was  something  more  to  be  done  he 
sat  down  beside  her. 

''Dmitri  Ivanovitch,  dear!  please  let  me  go,"  she  said, 
with  a  piteous  voice.  "  Matrona  Pavlovna  is  coming,"  she 
cried,  tearing  herself  away.  Some  one  was  really  coming 
to  the  door. 

'  Well,  then,  I'll  come  to  you  in  the  night,"  he  whispered. 
"You'll  be  alone?" 

'  What  are  you  thinking  of  ?  On  no  account.  No,  no !  ': 
she  said,  but  only  with  her  lips ;  the  tremulous  confusion  of 
her  whole  being  said  something  very  different. 

It  was  Matrona  Pavlovna  who  had  come  to  the  door.  She 
came  in  with  a  blanket  over  her  arm,  looked  reproachfully 
at  Nekhludoff,  and  began  scolding  Katusha  for  having 
taken  the  wrong  blanket. 

Nekhludoff  went  out  in  silence,  but  he  did  not  even  feel 
ashamed.  He  could  see  by  Matrona  Pavlovna's  face  that 
she  was  blaming  him,  he  knew  that  she  was  blaming  him 
with  reason  and  felt  that  he  was  doing  wrong,  but  this 
novel,  low  animal  excitement,  having  freed  itself  of  all  the 
old  feelings  of  real  love  for  Katusha,  ruled  supreme,  leaving 
room  for  nothing  else. 

He  went  about  as  if  demented  all  the  evening,  now  into 
his  aunts',  then  back  into  his  own  room,  then  out  into  the 
porch,  thinking  all  the  time  how  he  could  meet  her  alone ; 
but  she  avoided  him,  and  Matrona  Pavlovna  watched  her 
closely. 


Resurrection  65 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

NEKHLUDOFF   AND    KATUSHA. 

And  so  the  evening  passed  and  night  came.  The  doctor 
went  to  bed.  Nekhludoff's  aunts  had  also  retired,  and  he 
knew  that  Matrona  Pavlovna  was  now  with  them  in  their 
bedroom  so  that  Katusha  was  sure  to  be  alone  in  the  maids' 
sitting-room.  He  again  went  out  into  the  porch.  It  was 
dark,  damp  and  warm  out  of  doors,  and  that  white  spring 
mist  which  drives  away  the  last  snow,  or  is  diffused  by  the 
thawing  of  the  last  snow,  filled  the  air.  From  the  river 
under  the  hill,  about  a  hundred  steps  from  the  front  door, 
came  a  strange  sound.  It  was  the  ice  breaking.  Nekhludoff 
came  down  the  steps  and  went  up  to  the  window  of  the 
maids'  room,  stepping  over  the  puddles  on  the  bits  of  glazed 
snow.  His  heart  was  beating  so  fiercely  in  his  breast  that  he 
seemed  to  hear  it,  his  laboured  breath  came  and  went  in  a 
burst  of  long-drawn  sighs.  In  the  maids'  room  a  small 
lamp  was  burning,  and  Katusha  sat  alone  by  the  table,  look- 
ing thoughtfully  in  front  of  her.  Nekhludoff  stood  a  long 
time  without  moving  and  waited  to  see  what  she,  not  know- 
ing that  she  was  observed,  would  do.  For  a  minute  or  two 
she  did  not  move ;  then  she  lifted  her  eyes,  smiled  and  shook 
her  head  as  if  chiding  herself,  then  changed  her  pose  and 
dropped  both  her  arms  on  the  table  and  again  began  gazing 
down  in  front  of  her.  He  stood  and  looked  at  her,  involun- 
tarily listening  to  the  beating  of  his  own  heart  and  the 
strange  sounds  fr,om  the  river.  There  on  the  river,  beneath 
the  white  mist,  the  unceasing  labour  went  on,  and  sounds 
as  of  something  sobbing,  cracking,  dropping,  being  shat- 
tered to  pieces  mixed  with  the  tinkling  of  the  thin  bits  of 
ice  as  they  broke  against  each  other  like  glass. 

There  he  stood,  looking  at  Katusha's  serious,  suffering 
face,  which  betrayed  the  inner  struggle  of  her  soul,  and  he 
felt  pity  for  her ;  but,  strange  though  it  may  seem,  this  pity 
only  confirmed  him  in  his  evil  intention. 

He  knocked  at  the  window.     She  started  as  if  she  had  re- 


66  Resurrection 

ceived  an  electric  shock,  her  whole  body  trembled,  and  a  look 
of  horror  came  into  her  face.  Then  she  jumped  up,  ap- 
proached the  window  and  brought  her  face  up  to  the  pane. 
The  look  of  terror  did  not  leave  her  face  even  when,  holding 
her  hands  up  to  her  eyes  like  blinkers  and  peering  through 
the  glass,  she  recognised  him.  Her  face  was  unusually 
grave ;  he  had  never  seen  it  so  before.  She  returned  his 
smile,  but  only  in  submission  to  him ;  there  was  no  smile  in 
her  soul,  only  fear.  He  beckoned  her  with  his  hand  to  come 
out  into  the  yard  to  him.  But  she  shook  her  head  and  re- 
mained by  the  window.  He  brought  his  face  close  to  the 
pane  and  was  going  to  call  out  to  her,  but  at  that  moment 
she  turned  to  the  door ;  evidently  some  one  inside  had  called 
her.  Nekhludoff  moved  away  from  the  window.  The  fog 
was  so  dense  that  five  steps  from  the  house  the  windows 
could  not  be  seen,  but  the  light  from  the  lamp  shone  red  and 
huge  out  of  a  shapeless  black  mass.  And  on  the  river  the 
same  strange  sounds  went  on,  sobbing  and  rustling  and 
cracking  and  tinkling.  Somewhere  in  the  fog,  not  far  off, 
a  cock  crowed  ;  another  answered,  and  then  others,  far  in  the 
village,  took  up  the  cry  till  the  sound  of  the  crowing  blended 
into  one,  while  all  around  was  silent  excepting  the  river.  It 
was  the  second  time  the  cocks  crowed  that  night. 

Nekhludoff  walked  up  and  down  behind  the  corner  of 
the  house,  and  once  or  twice  got  into  a  puddle.  Then  he 
again  came  up  to  the  window.  The  lamp  was  still  burning, 
and  she  was  again  sitting  alone  by  the  table  as  if  uncertain 
what  to  do.  He  had  hardly  approached  the  window  when 
she  looked  up.  He  knocked.  Without  looking  who  it  was 
she  at  once  ran  out  of  the  room,  and  he  heard  the  outside 
door  open  with  a  snap.  He  waited  for  her  near  the  side 
porch  and  put  his  arms  round  her  without  saying  a  word. 
She  clung  to  him.  put  up  her  face,  and  met  his  kiss  with  her 
lips.  Then  the  door  again  gave  the  same  sort  of  snap  and 
opened,  and  the  voice  of  Matrona  Pavlovna  called  out 
angrily,  "  Katusha  !  " 

She  tore  herself  away  from  him  and  returned  into  the 
maids'  room.  He  heard  the  latch  click,  and  then  all  was 
quiet.  The  red  light  disappeared  and  only  the  mist  remained, 
and  the  bustle  on  the  river  went  on.  Nekhludoff  went  up  to 
the  window,  nobody  was  to  be  seen ;  he  knocked,  but  got  no 
answer.  He  went  back  into  the  house  by  the  front  door,  but 
could  not  sleep.     He  got  up  and  went  with  bare  feet  along 


Resurrection  67 

the  passage  to  her  door,  next  Matrona  Pavlovna's  room.  He 
heard  Matrona  Pavlovna  snoring  quietly,  and  was  about  to 
go  on  when  she  coughed  and  turned  on  her  creaking  bed, 
and  his  heart  fell,  and  he  stood  immovable  for  about  five 
minutes.  When  all  was  quiet  and  she  began  to  snore  peace- 
fully again,  he  went  on,  trying  to  step  on  the  boards  that 
did  not  creak,  and  came  to  Katusha's  door.  There  was  no 
sound  to  be  heard.  She  was  probably  awake,  or  else  he 
would  have  heard  her  breathing.  But  as  soon  as  he  had  whis- 
pered "  Katusha  *'  she  jumped  up  and  began  to  persuade  him, 
as  if  angrily,  to  go  away. 

"  Open !  Let  me  in  just  for  a  moment !  I  implore  you  !  " 
He  hardly  knew  what  he  was  saying. 

******* 

When  she  left  him,  trembling  and  silent,  giving  no  answer 
to  his  words,  he  again  went  out  into  the  porch  and  stood  try- 
ing to  understand  the  meaning  of  what  had  happened. 

It  was  getting  lighter.  From  the  river  below  the  creaking 
and  tinkling  and  sobbing  of  the  breaking  ice  came  still  louder 
and  a  gurgling  sound  could  now  also  be  heard.  The  mist 
had  begun  to  sink,  and  from  above  it  the  waning  moon 
dimly  lighted  up  something  black  and  weird. 

"  What  was  the  meaning  of  it  all  ?  Was  it  a  great  joy  or  a 
great  misfortune  that  had  befallen  him?  "  he  asked  himself. 


68  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


AFTERWARDS. 


The  next  day  the  gay,  handsome,  and  brilliant  Schonbock 
joined  Nekhludoff  at  his  aunts'  house,  and  quite  won  their 
hearts  by  his  refined  and  amiable  manner,  his  high  spirits, 
his  generosity,  and  his  affection  for  Dmitri. 

But  though  the  old  ladies  admired  his  generosity  it  rather 
perplexed  them,  for  it  seemed  exaggerated.  He  gave  a 
rouble  to  some  blind  beggars  who  came  to  the  gate,  gave  15 
roubles  in  tips  to  the  servants,  and  when  Sophia  Ivanovna's 
pet  dog  hurt  his  paw  and  it  bled,  he  tore  his  hemstitched 
cambric  handkerchief  into  strips  (Sophia  Ivanovna  knew 
that  such  handkerchiefs  cost  at  least  15  roubles  a  dozen)  and 
bandaged  the  dog's  foot.  The  old  ladies  had  never  met 
people  of  this  kind,  and  did  not  know  that  Schonbock  owed 
200,000  roubles  which  he  was  never  going  to  pay,  and  that 
therefore  25  roubles  more  or  less  did  not  matter  a  bit  to  him. 
Schonbock  stayed  only  one  day,  and  he  and  Nekhludoff  both 
left  at  night.  They  could  not  stay  away  from  their  regiment 
any  longer,  for  their  leave  was  fully  up. 

At  the  stage  which  Nekhludoff' s  selfish  mania  had  now 
reached  he  could  think  of  nothing  but  himself.  He  was  won- 
dering whether  his  conduct,  if  found  out,  would  be  blamed 
much  or  at  all,  but  he  did  not  consider  what  Katusha  was 
now  going  through,  and  what  was  going  to  happen  to  her. 

He  saw  that  Schonbock  guessed  his  relations  to  her  and 
this  flattered  his  vanity. 

"  Ah,  I  see  how  it  is  you  have  taken  such  a  sudden  fancy 
to  your  aunts  that  you  have  been  living  nearly  a  week  with 
them,"  Schonbock  remarked  when  he  had  seen  Katusha. 
'  Well,  I  don't  wonder — should  have  done  the  same.  She's 
charming."  Nekhludoff  was  also  thinking  that  though  it 
was  a  pity  to  go  away  before  having  fully  gratified  the  crav- 
ings of  his  love  for  her,  yet  the  absolute  necessity  of  parting 
had  its  advantages  because  it  put  a  sudden  stop  to  relations 
it  would  have  been  very  difficult  for  him  to  continue.    Then 


Resurrection  69 

he  thought  that  he  ought  to  give  her  some  money,  not  for 
her,  not  because  she  might  need  it,  but  because  it  was  the 
thing  to  do. 

So  he  gave  her  what  seemed  to  him  a  liberal  amount,  con- 
sidering his  and  her  station.  On  the  day  of  his  departure, 
after  dinner,  he  went  out  and  waited  for  her  at  the  side  en- 
trance. She  flushed  up  when  she  saw  him  and  wished  to 
pass  by,  directing  his  attention  to  the  open  door  of  the  maids' 
room  by  a  look,  but  he  stopped  her. 

"  I  have  come  to  say  good-bye,"  he  said,  crumpling  in  his 
hand  an  envelope  with  a  100- rouble  note  inside.  "  There, 
I"     .     .     . 

She  guessed  what  he  meant,  knit  her  brows,  and  shaking 
her  head  pushed  his  hand  away. 

'  Take  it ;  oh,  you  must !  "  he  stammered,  and  thrust  the 
envelope  into  the  bib  of  her  apron  and  ran  back  to  his  room, 
groaning  and  frowning  as  if  he  had  hurt  himself.  And  for 
a  long  time  he  went  up  and  down  writhing  as  in  pain,  and 
even  stamping  and  groaning  aloud  as  he  thought  of  this 
last  scene.  ;'  But  what  else  could  I  have  done?  Is  it  not 
what  happens  to  every  one?  And  if  every  one  does  the 
same  .  .  .  well  I  suppose  it  can't  be  helped."  In  this 
way  he  tried  to  get  peace  of  mind,  but  in  vain.  The  recollec- 
tion of  what  had  passed  burned  his  conscience.  In  his  soul — 
in  the  very  depths  of  his  soul — he  knew  that  he  had  acted  iw 
a  base,  cruel,  cowardly  manner,  and  that  the  knowledge  of 
this  act  of  his  must  prevent  him,  not  only  from  finding  fault 
with  any  one  else,  but  even  from  looking  straight  into  other 
people's  eyes ;  not  to  mention  the  impossibility  of  considering 
himself  a  splendid,  noble,  high-minded  fellow,  as  he  did  and 
had  to  do  to  go  on  living  his  life  boldly  and  merrily.  There 
was  only  one  solution  of  the  problem — i.c,  not  to  think 
about  it.  He  succeeded  in  doing  so.  The  life  he  was  now 
entering  upon,  the  new  surroundings,  new  friends,  the  war, 
all  helped  him  to  forget.  And  the  longer  he  lived,  the  less  he 
thought  about  it,  until  at  last  he  forgot  it  completely. 

Once  only,  when,  after  the  war,  he  went  to  see  his  aunts 
in  hopes  of  meeting  Katusha,  and  heard  that  soon  after  his 
last  visit  she  had  left,  and  that  his  aunts  had  heard  she  had 
been  confined  somewhere  or  other  and  had  gone  quite  to  the 
bad,  his  heart  ached.  According  to  the  time  of  her  confine- 
ment, the  child  might  or  might  not  have  been  his.  His  aunts 
said  she  had  gone  wrong,  that  she  had  inherited  her  mother's 


jo  Resurrection 

depraved  nature,  and  he  was  pleased  to  hear  this  opinion  of 
his  aunts'.  It  seemed  to  acquit  him.  At  first  he  thought  of 
trying  to  find  her  and  her  child,  but  then,  just  because  in  the 
depths  of  his  soul  he  felt  so  ashamed  and  pained  when  think- 
ing about  her,  he  did  not  make  the  necessary  effort  to  find 
her,  but  tried  to  forget  his  sin  again  and  ceased  to  think 
about  it.  And  now  this  strange  coincidence  brought  it  all 
back  to  his  memory,  and  demanded  from  him  the  acknowl- 
edgment of  the  heartless,  cruel  cowardice  which  had  made  it 
possible  for  him  to  live  these  nine  years  with  such  a  sin  on 
his  conscience.  But  he  was  still  far  from  such  an  acknowl- 
edgment, and  his  only  fear  was  that  everything  might  now 
be  found  out,  and  that  she  or  her  advocate  might  recount  it 
all  and  put  him  to  shame  before  every  one  present. 


Resurrection  71 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE   TRIAL — RESUMPTION. 

In  this  state  of  mind  Nekhludoff  left  the  Court  and  went 
into  the  jurymen's  room.  He  sat  by  the  window  smoking 
all  the  while,  and  hearing  what  was  being  said  around  him. 

The  merry  merchant  seemed  with  all  his  heart  to  sympa- 
thise with  Smelkoff' s  way  of  spending  his  time. 

"  There,  old  fellow,  that  was  something  like !  Real  Si- 
berian fashion !  He  knew  what  he  was  about,  no  fear ! 
That's  the  sort  of  wench  for  me." 

The  foreman  was  stating  his  conviction,  that  in  some 
way  or  other  the  expert's  conclusions  were  the  important 
thing.  Peter  Gerasimovitch  was  joking  about  something 
with  the  Jewish  clerk,  and  they  burst  out  laughing.  Nekh- 
ludoff answered  all  the  questions  addressed  to  him  in 
monosyllables  and  longed  only  to  be  left  in  peace. 

When  the  usher,  with  his  sideways  gait,  called  the  jury 
back  to  the  Court,  Nekhludoff  was  seized  with  fear,  as  if 
he  were  not  going  to  judge,  but  to  be  judged.  In  the  depth 
of  his  soul  he  felt  that  he  was  a  scoundrel,  who  ought  to  be 
ashamed  to  look  people  in  the  face,  yet,  by  sheer  force  of 
habit,  he  stepped  on  to  the  platform  in  his  usual  self-pos- 
sessed manner,  and  sat  down,  crossing  his  legs  and  playing 
with  his  pince-nez. 

The  prisoners  had  also  been  led  out,  and  were  now 
brought  in  again.  There  were  some  new  faces  in  the  Court 
— witnesses,  and  Nekhludoff  noticed  that  Maslova  could 
not  take  her  eyes  off  a  very  fat  woman  who  sat  in  the  row 
in  front  of  the  grating,  very  showily  dressed  in  silk  and 
velvet,  a  high  hat  with  a  large  bow  on  her  head,  and  an  ele- 
gant little  reticule  on  her  arm,  which  was  bare  to  the  elbow. 
This  was,  as  he  subsequently  found  out,  one  of  the  wit- 
nesses, the  mistress  of  the  establishment  to  which  Maslova 
had  belonged. 

The  examination  of  the  witnesses  commenced :  they  were 
asked  their  names,  religion,   etc.     Then,  after  some  con- 


72  Resurrection 

sultation  as  to  whether  the  witnesses  were  to  be  sworn  in 
or  not,  the  old  priest  came  in  again,  dragging  his  legs  with 
difficulty,  and,  again  arranging  the  golden  cross  on  his 
breast,  swore  the  witnesses  and  the  expert  in  the  same  quiet 
manner,  and  with  the  same  assurance  that  he  was  doing 
something  useful  and  important. 

The  witnesses  having  been  sworn,  all  but  Kitaeva,  the 
keeper  of  the  house,  were  led  out  again.  She  was  asked 
what  she  knew  about  this  affair.  Kitaeva  nodded  her  head 
and  the  big  hat  at  every  sentence  and  smiled  affectedly.  She 
gave  a  very  full  and  intelligent  account,  speaking  with  a 
strong  German  accent.  First  of  all,  the  hotel  servant 
Simeon,  whom  she  knew,  came  to  her  establishment  on  be- 
half of  a  rich  Siberian  merchant,  and  she  sent  Lubov  back 
with  him.  After  a  time  Lubov  returned  with  the  merchant. 
The  merchant  was  already  somewhat  intoxicated — she 
smiled  as  she  said  this — and  went  on  drinking  and  treating 
the  girls.  He  was  short  of  money.  He  sent  this  same 
Lubov  to  his  lodgings.  He  had  taken  a  "  predilection  "  to 
her.    She  looked  at  the  prisoner  as  she  said  this. 

Nekhludoff  thought  he  saw  Maslova  smile  here,  and  this 
seemed  disgusting  to  him.  A  strange,  indefinite  feeling 
of  loathing,  mingled  with  suffering,  arose  in  him. 

"  And  what  was  your  opinion  of  Maslova  ?"  asked  the 
blushing  and  confused  applicant  for  a  judicial  post,  ap- 
pointed to  act  as  Maslova's  advocate. 

"  Zee  ferry  pesht,"  answered  Kitaeva.  "  Zee  yoong 
voman  is  etucated  and  elecant.  She  was  prought  up  in  a 
coot  family  and  can  reat  French.  She  tid  have  a  trop  too 
moch  sometimes,  put  nefer  forcot  herself.  A  ferry  coot 
girl." 

Katusha  looked  at  the  woman,  then  suddenly  turned  her 
eyes  on  the  jury  and  fixed  them  on  Nekhludoff,  and  her 
face  grew  serious  and  even  severe.  One  of  her  serious  eyes 
squinted,  and  those  two  strange  eyes  for  some  time  gazed 
at  Nekhludoff,  who,  in  spite  of  the  terrors  that  seized  him, 
could  not  take  his  look  off  these  squinting  eyes,  with  their 
bright,  clear  whites. 

He  thought  of  that  dreadful  night,  with  its  mist,  the  ice 
breaking  on  the  river  below,  and  when  the  waning  moon, 
with  horns  turned  upwards,  that  had  risen  towards  morn- 
ing, lit  up  something  black  and  weird.  These  two  black 
eyes  now  looking  at  him  reminded  him  of  this  weird,  black 


Resurrection  73 

something.  "  She  has  recognised  me,"  he  thought,  and 
Nekhludoff  shrank  as  if  expecting  a  blow.  But  she  had 
not  recognised  him.  She  sighed  quietly  and  again  looked 
at  the  president.  Nekhludoff  also  sighed.  "  Oh,  if  it  would 
only  get  on  quicker,"  he  thought. 

He  now  felt  the  same  loathing  and  pity  and  vexation  as 
when,  out  shooting,  he  was  obliged  to  kill  a  wounded  bird. 
The  wounded  bird  struggles  in  the  game  bag.  One  is  dis- 
gusted and  yet  feels  pity,  and  one  is  in  a  hurry  to  kill  the 
bird  and  forget  it. 

Such  mixed  feelings  filled  Nekhludoff's  breast  as  he  sat 
listening  to  the  examination  of  the  witnesses. 


74  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  TRIAL THE  MEDICAL  REPORT. 

But,  as  if  to  spite  him,  the  case  dragged  out  to  a  great 
length.  After  each  witness  had  been  examined  separately 
and  the  expert  last  of  all,  and  a  great  number  of  useless 
questions  had  been  put,  with  the  usual  air  of  importance,  by 
the  public  prosecutor  and  by  both  advocates,  the  president 
invited  the  jury  to  examine  the  objects  offered  as  material 
evidence.  They  consisted  of  an  enormous  diamond  ring, 
which  had  evidently  been  worn  on  the  first  finger,  and  a 
test  tube  in  which  the  poison  had  been  analysed.  These 
things  had  seals  and  labels  attached  to  them. 

Just  as  the  witnesses  were  about  to  look  at  these  things, 
the  public  prosecutor  rose  and  demanded  that  before  they 
did  this  the  results  of  the  doctor's  examination  of  the  body 
should  be  read.  The  president,  who  was  hurrying  the  busi- 
ness through  as  fast  as  he  could  in  order  to  visit  his  Swiss 
friend,  though  he  knew  that  the  reading  of  this  paper  could 
have  no  other  effect  than  that  of  producing  weariness  and 
putting  off  the  dinner  hour,  and  that  the  public  prosecutor 
wanted  it  read  simply  because  he  knew  he  had  a  right  to 
demand  it,  had  no  option  but  to  express  his  consent. 

The  secretary  got  out  the  doctor's  report  and  again 
began  to  read  in  his  weary  lisping  voice,  making  no  dis- 
tinction between  the  "  r's  "  and  "  l's." 

The  external  examination  proved  that : 

"  i.  Theropont  Smelkoff's  height  was  six  feet  five  inches. 

"  Not  so  bad,  that.  A  very  good  size,"  whispered  the 
merchant,  with  interest,  into  Nekhludoff's  ear. 

2.  He  looked  about  40  years  of  age. 

3.  The  body  was  of  a  swollen  appearance. 

4.  The  flesh  was  of  a  greenish  colour,  with  dark  spots  in 
several  places. 

5.  The  skin  was  raised  in  blisters  of  different  sizes  and  in 
places  had  come  off  in  large  pieces. 


Resurrection  75 

6.  The  hair  was  chestnut ;  it  was  thick,  and  separated 
easily  from  the  skin  when  touched. 

7.  The  eye-balls  protruded  from  their  sockets  and  the 
cornea  had  grown  dim. 

8.  Out  of  the  nostrils,  both  ears,  and  the  mouth  oozed 
serous  liquid ;  the  mouth  was  half  open. 

9.  The  neck  had  almost  disappeared,  owing  to  the  swell- 
ing of  the  face  and  chest." 

And  so  on  and  so  on. 

Four  pages  were  covered  with  the  27  paragraphs  describ- 
ing all  the  details  of  the  external  examination  of  the  enor- 
mous, fat,  swollen,  and  decomposing  body  of  the  merchant 
who  had  been  making  merry  in  the  town.  The  indefinite 
loathing  that  Nekhludoff  felt  was  increased  by  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  corpse.  Katusha's  life,  and  the  serum  oozing 
from  the  nostrils  of  the  corpse,  and  the  eyes  that  protruded 
out  of  their  sockets,  and  his  own  treatment  of  her — all 
seemed  to  belong  to  the  same  order  of  things,  and  he  felt 
surrounded  and  wholly  absorbed  by  things  of  the  same 
nature. 

When  the  reading  of  the  report  of  the  external  examina- 
tion was  ended,  the  president  heaved  a  sigh  and  raised  his 
hand,  hoping  it  was  finished ;  but  the  secretary  at  once  went 
on  to  the  description  of  the  internal  examination.  The 
president's  head  again  dropped  into  his  hand  and  he  shut 
his  eyes.  The  merchant  next  to  Nekhludoff  could  hardly 
keep  awake,  and  now  and  then  his  body  swayed  to  and  fro. 
The  prisoners  and  the  gendarmes  sat  perfectly  quiet. 

The  internal  examination  showed  that : 

"  1.  The  skin  was  easily  detachable  from  the  bones  of  the 
skull,  and  there  was  no  coagulated  blood. 

"  2.  The  bones  of  the  skull  were  of  average  thickness  and 
in  sound  condition. 

"  3.  On  the  membrane  of  the  brain  there  were  two  dis- 
coloured spots  about  four  inches  long,  the  membrane  itself 
being  of  a  dull  white."  And  so  on  for  13  paragraphs  more, 
Then  followed  the  names  and  signatures  of  the  assistants, 
and  the  doctor's  conclusion  showing  that  the  changes  ob- 
served in  the  stomach,  and  to  a  lesser  degree  in  the  bowels 
and  kidneys,  at  the  post-mortem  examination,  and 
described  in  the  official  report,  gave  great  probability  to  the 
conclusion  that  Smelkoff's  death  was  caused  by  poison 
which  had  entered  his  stomach  mixed  with  alcohol.    To  de- 


y6  Resurrection 

cide  from  the  state  of  the  stomach  what  poison  had  been 
introduced  was  difficult ;  but  it  was  necessary  to  suppose 
that  the  poison  entered  the  stomach  mixed  with  alcohol, 
since  a  great  quantity  of  the  latter  was  found  in  SmelkofFs 
stomach. 

"  He  could  drink,  and  no  mistake,"  again  whispered  the 
merchant,  who  had  just  waked  up. 

The  reading  of  this  report  had  taken  a  full  hour,  but  it 
had  not  satisfied  the  public  prosecutor,  for,  when  it  had 
been  read  through  and  the  president  turned  to  him,  saying, 
"  I  suppose  it  is  superfluous  to  read  the  report  of  the  exam- 
ination of  the  internal  organs  ?  "  he  answered  in  a  severe 
tone,  without  looking  at  the  president,  "  I  shall  ask  to  have 
it  read." 

He  raised  himself  a  little,  and  showed  by  his  manner  that 
he  had  a  right  to  have  this  report  read,  and  would  claim 
this  right,  and  that  if  that  were  not  granted  it  would  serve 
as  a  cause  of  appeal. 

The  member  of  the  Court  with  the  big  beard,  who  suf- 
fered from  catarrh  of  the  stomach,  feeling  quite  done  up, 
turned  to  the  president : 

'  What  is  the  use  of  reading  all  this  ?  It  is  only  dragging 
it  out.  These  new  brooms  do  not  sweep  clean ;  they  only 
take  a  long  while  doing  it." 

The  member  with  the  gold  spectacles  said  nothing,  but 
only  looked  gloomily  in  front  of  him,  expecting  nothing 
good,  either  from  his  wife  or  life  in  general.  The  reading 
of  the  report  commenced. 

"  In  the  year  188 — ,  on  February  15th,  I,  the  under- 
signed, commissioned  by  the  medical  department,  made  an 
examination,  No.  638,"  the  secretary  began  again  with 
firmness  and  raising  the  pitch  of  his  voice  as  if  to  dispel  the 
sleepiness  that  had  overtaken  all  present,  "  in  the  presence 
of  the  assistant  medical  inspector,  of  the  internal  organs : 

'  1.  The  right  lung  and  the  heart  (contained  in  a  6-lb. 
glass  jar). 

2.  The  contents  of  the  stomach  (in  a  6-lb.  glass  jar). 

3.  The  stomach  itself  (in  a  6-lb.  glass  jar). 

"  4.  The   liver,   the   spleen   and   the   kidneys    (in   a  9-lb. 

glass  jar). 

'  5.  The  intestines  (in  a  9-lb.  earthenware  jar)." 
The  president  here  whispered  to  one  of  the  members, 

then  stooped  to  the  other,  and  having  received  their  con- 


Resurrection  JJ 

sent,  he  said :  "  The  Court  considers  the  reading  of  this  re- 
port superfluous."  The  secretary  stopped  reading  and 
folded  the  paper,  and  the  public  prosecutor  angrily  began 
to  write  down  something.  "  The  gentlemen  of  the  jury 
may  now  examine  the  articles  of  material  evidence,"  said 
the  president.  The  foreman  and  several  of  the  others  rose 
and  went  to  the  table,  not  quite  knowing  what  to  do  with 
their  hands.  They  looked  in  turn  at  the  glass,  the  test  tube, 
and  the  ring.    The  merchant  even  tried  on  the  ring. 

"  Ah !  that  was  a  finger,"  he  said,  returning  to  his  place ; 
"  like  a  cucumber,"  he  added.  Evidently  the  image  he  had 
formed  in  his  mind  of  the  gigantic  merchant  amused  him. 


78 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XXL 

THE   TRIAL — THE    PROSECUTOR   AND   THE   ADVOCATES. 

When  the  examination  of  the  articles  of  material  evi- 
dence was  finished,  the  president  announced  that  the  inves- 
tigation was  now  concluded  and  immediately  called  on  the 
prosecutor  to  proceed,  hoping  that  as  the  latter  was  also  a 
man,  he,  too,  might  feel  inclined  to  smoke  or  dine,  and 
show  some  mercy  on  the  rest.  But  the  public  prosecutor 
showed  mercy  neither  to  himself  nor  to  any  one  else.  He 
was  very  stupid  by  nature,  but,  besides  this,  he  had  had  the 
misfortune  of  finishing  school  with  a  gold  medal  and  of 
receiving  a  reward  for  his  essay  on  "  Servitude "  when 
studying  Roman  Law  at  the  University,  and  was  therefore 
self-confident  and  self-satisfied  in  the  highest  degree  (his 
success  with  the  ladies  also  conducing  to  this)  and  his  stu- 
pidity had  become  extraordinary. 

When  the  word  was  given  to  him,  he  got  up  slowly, 
showing  the  whole  of  his  graceful  figure  in  his  embroidered 
uniform.  Putting  his  hand  on  the  desk  he  looked  round 
the  room,  slightly  bowing  his  head,  and,  avoiding  the  eyes 
of  the  prisoners,  began  to  read  the  speech  he  had  pre- 
pared while  the  reports  were  being  read. 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  jury !  The  business  that  now  lies  be- 
fore you  is,  if  I  may  so  express  myself,  very  characteristic." 

The  speech  of  a  public  prosecutor,  according  to  his 
views,  should  always  have  a  social  importance,  like  the 
celebrated  speeches  made  by  the  advocates  who  have  be- 
come distinguished.  True,  the  audience  consisted  of  three 
women — a  semptress,  a  cook,  and  Simeon's  sister — and  a 
coachman ;  but  this  did  not  matter.  The  celebrities  had 
begun  in  the  same  way.  To  be  always  at  the  height  of  his 
position,  i.e.,  to  penetrate  into  the  depths  of  the  psycholog- 
ical significance  of  crime  and  to  discover  the  wounds  of 
society,  was  one  of  the  prosecutor's  principles. 

"  You  see  before  you,  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  a  crime 
characteristic,  if  I  may  so  express  myself,  of  the  end  of  our 


Resurrection  79 

century;  bearing,  so  to  say,  the  specific  features  of  that 
very  painful  phenomenon,  the  corruption  to  which  those 
elements  of  our  present-day  society,  which  are,  so  to  say, 
particularly  exposed  to  the  burning  rays  of  this  process,  are 
subject." 

The  public  prosecutor  spoke  at  great  length,  trying  not 
to  forget  any  of  the  notions  he  had  formed  in  his  mind,  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  never  to  hesitate,  and  let  his  speech  flow 
on  for  an  hour  and  a  quarter  without  a  break." 

Only  once  he  stopped  and  for  some  time  stood  swallow- 
ing his  saliva,  but  he  soon  mastered  himself  and  made  up 
for  the  interruption  by  heightened  eloquence.  He  spoke, 
now  with  a  tender,  insinuating  accent,  stepping  from  foot 
to  foot  and  looking  at  the  jury,  now  in  quiet,  business-like 
tones,  glancing  into  his  notebook,  then  with  a  loud,  ac- 
cusing voice,  looking  from  the  audience  to  the  advocates. 
But  he  avoided  looking  at  the  prisoners,  who  were  all  three 
fixedly  gazing  at  him.  Every  new  craze  then  in  vogue 
among  his  set  was  alluded  to  in  his  speech ;  everything  that 
then  was,  and  some  things  that  still  are,  considered  to  be 
the  last  words  of  scientific  wisdom :  the  laws  of  heredity  and 
inborn  criminality,  evolution  and  the  struggle  for  existence, 
hypnotism  and  hypnotic  influence. 

According  to  his  definition,  the  merchant  Smelkoff  was 
of  the  genuine  Russian  type,  and  had  perished  in  conse- 
quence of  his  generous,  trusting  nature,  having  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  deeply  degraded  individuals. 

Simeon  Kartinkin  was  the  atavistic  production  of  serf- 
dom, a  stupefied,  ignorant,  unprincipled  man,  who  had  not 
even  any  religion.  Euphemia  was  his  mistress,  and  a  victim 
of  heredity  ;  all  the  signs  of  degeneration  were  noticeable  in 
her.  The  chief  wire-puller  in  this  affair  was  Maslova,  pre- 
senting the  phenomenon  of  decadence  in  its  lowest  form. 
"  This  woman,"  he  said,  looking  at  her,  "  has,  as  we  have 
to-day  heard  from  her  mistress  in  this  court,  received  an 
education ;  she  cannot  only  read  and  write,  but  she  knows 
French ;  she  is  illegitimate,  and  probably  carries  in  her  the 
germs  of  criminality.  She  was  educated  in  an  enlightened, 
noble  family  and  might  have  lived  by  honest  work,  but  she 
deserts  her  benefactress,  gives  herself  up  to  a  life  of  shame 
in  which  she  is  distinguished  from  her  companions  by  her 
education,  and  chiefly,  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  as  you  have 
heard  from  her  mistress,  by  her  power  of  acting  on  the  vis- 


80  Resurrection 

itors  by  means  of  that  mysterious  capacity  lately  investi- 
gated by  science,  especially  by  the  school  of  Charcot, 
known  by  the  name  of  hypnotic  influence.  By  these  means 
she  gets  hold  of  this  Russian,  this  kind-hearted  Sadko,* 
the  rich  guest,  and  uses  his  trust  in  order  first  to  rob  and 
then  pitilessly  to  murder  him." 

"  Well,  he  is  piling  it  on  now,  isn't  he  ?  "  said  the  presi- 
dent with  a  smile,  bending  towards  the  serious  member. 

"  A  fearful  blockhead !  "  said  the  serious  member. 

Meanwhile  the  public  prosecutor  went  on  with  his 
speech.  "  Gentlemen  of  the  jury,"  gracefully  swaying  his 
body,  "  the  fate  of  society  is  to  a  certain  extent  in  your 
power.  Your  verdict  will  influence  it.  Grasp  the  full 
meaning  of  this  crime,  the  danger  that  awaits  society  from 
those  whom  I  may  perhaps  be  permitted  to  call  pathologi- 
cal individuals,  such  as  Maslova.  Guard  it  from  infection ; 
guard  the  innocent  and  strong  elements  of  society  from 
contagion  or  even  destruction." 

And  as  if  himself  overcome  by  the  significance  of  the  ex- 
pected verdict,  the  public  prosecutor  sank  into  his  chair, 
highly  delighted  with  his  speech. 

The  sense  of  the  speech,  when  divested  of  all  its  flowers 
of  rhetoric,  was  that  Maslova,  having  gained  the  mer- 
chant's confidence,  hypnotised  him  and  went  to  his  lodg- 
ings with  his  key  meaning  to  take  all  the  money  herself, 
but  having  been  caught  in  the  act  by  Simeon  and  Eu- 
phemia  had  to  share  it  with  them.  Then,  in  order-  to  hide 
the  traces  of  the  crime,  she  had  returned  to  the  lodgings 
with  the  merchant  and  there  poisoned  him. 

After  the  prosecutor  had  spoken,  a  middle-aged  man  in 
swallow-tail  coat  and  low-cut  waistcoat  showing  a  large 
half-circle  of  starched  white  shirt,  rose  from  the  advocates' 
bench  and  made  a  speech  in  defence  of  Kartinkin  and 
Botchkova ;  this  was  an  advocate  engaged  by  them  for  300 
roubles.  He  acquitted  them  both  and  put  all  the  blame  on 
Maslova.  He  denied  the  truth  of  Maslova's  statements 
that  Botchkova  and  Kartinkin  were  with  her  when  she 
took  the  money,  laying  great  stress  on  the  point  that  her 
evidence  could  not  be  accepted,  she  being  charged  with 
poisoning.  '  The  2,500  roubles,"  the  advocate  said,  "  could 
have  been  easily  earned  by  two  honest  people  getting  from 
three  to  five  roubles  per  day  in  tips  from  the  lodgers.    The 

*Sadko,  the  hero  of  a  legend. 


Resurrection  8 1 

merchant's  money  was  stolen  by  Maslova  and  given  away, 
or  even  lost,  as  she  was  not  in  a  normal  state." 

The  poisoning  was  committed  by  Maslova  alone;  there- 
fore he  begged  the  jury  to  acquit  Kartinkin  and  Botchkova 
of  stealing  the  money;  or  if  they  could  not  acquit  them  of 
the  theft,  at  least  to  admit  that  it  was  done  without  any  par- 
ticipation in  the  poisoning. 

In  conclusion  the  advocate  remarked,  with  a  thrust  at 
the  public  prosecutor,  that  "  the  brilliant  observations  of 
that  gentleman  on  heredity,  while  explaining  scientific  facts 
concerning  heredity,  were  inapplicable  in  this  case,  as 
Botchkova  was  of  unknown  parentage."  The  public  prose- 
cutor put  something  down  on  paper  with  an  angry  look, 
and  shrugged  his  shoulders  in  contemptuous  surprise. 

Then  Maslova's  advocate  rose,  and  timidly  and  hesitat- 
ingly began  his  speech  in  her  defence. 

Without  denying  that  she  had  taken  part  in  the  stealing 
of  the  monev,  he  insisted  on  the  fact  that  she  had  no  inten- 
tion  of  poisoning  Smelkoff,  but  had  given  him  the  powder 
only  to  make  him  fall  asleep.  He  tried  to  go  in  for  a  little 
eloquence  in  giving  a  description  of  how  Maslova  was  led 
into  a  life  of  debauchery  by  a  man  who  had  remained  un- 
punished while  she  had  to  bear  all  the  weight  of  her  fall ; 
but  this  excursion  into  the  domain  of  psychology  was  so 
unsuccessful  that  it  made  everybodv  feel  uncomfortable. 
When  he  muttered  something  about  men's  cruelty  and 
women's  helplessness,  the  president  tried  to  help  him  by 
asking  him  to  keep  closer  to  the  facts  of  the  case.  When 
he  had  finished  the  public  prosecutor  got  up  to  reply.  He 
defended  his  position  against  the  first  advocate,  saying  that 
even  if  Botchkova  was  of  unknown  parentage  the  truth  of 
the  doctrine  of  heredity  was  thereby  in  no  way  invalidated, 
since  the  laws  of  heredity  were  so  far  proved  by  science  that 
we  can  not  only  deduce  the  crime  from  heredity,  but  hered- 
ity from  the  crime.  As  to  the  statement  made  in  defence 
of  Maslova,  that  she  was  the  victim  of  an  imaginary  (he  laid 
a  particularly  venomous  stress  on  the  word  imaginary)  be- 
trayer, he  could  only  say  that  from  the  evidence  before 
them  it  was  much  more  likely  that  she  had  played  the  part 
of  temptress  to  many  and  many  a  victim  who  had  fallen 
into  her  hands.  Having  said  this  he  sat  down  in  triumph. 
Then  the  prisoners  were  offered  permission  to  speak  in 
their  own  defence. 


82  Resurrection 

Euphemia  Botchkova  repeated  once  more  that  she  knew 
nothing  about  it  and  had  taken  part  in  nothing,  and  firmly- 
laid  the  whole  blame  on  Maslova.  Simeon  Kartinkin  only 
repeated  several  times :  "  It  is  your  business,  but  I  am  in- 
nocent; it's  unjust."  Maslova  said  nothing  in  her  defence. 
Told  she  might  do  so  by  the  president,  she  only  lifted  her 
eyes  to  him,  cast  a  look  round  the  room  like  a  hunted  ani- 
mal, and,  dropping  her  head,  began  to  cry,  sobbing  aloud. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  the  merchant  asked  Nekhludoff, 
hearing  him  utter  a  strange  sound.  This  was  the  sound  of 
weeping  fiercely  kept  back.  Nekhludoff  had  not  yet  under- 
stood the  significance  of  his  present  position,  and  attributed 
the  sobs  he  could  hardly  keep  back  and  the  tears  that  filled 
his  eyes  to  the  weakness  of  his  nerves.  He  put  on  his 
pince-nez  in  order  to  hide  the  tears,  then  got  out  his  hand- 
kerchief and  began  blowing  his  nose. 

Fear  of  the  disgrace  that  would  befall  him  if  every  one 
in  the  court  knew  of  his  conduct  stifled  the  inner  working 
of  his  soul.  This  fear  was,  during  this  first  period,  stronger 
than  all  else. 


Resurrection  83 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  TRIAL — THE  SUMMING  UP. 

After  the  last  words  of  the  prisoners  had  been  heard,  the 
form  in  which  the  questions  were  to  be  put  to  the  jury  was 
settled,  which  also  took  some  time.  At  last  the  questions 
were  formulated,  and  the  president  began  the  summing  up. 

Before  putting  the  case  to  the  jury,  he  spoke  to  them  for 
some  time  in  a  pleasant,  homely  manner,  explaining  that 
burglary  was  burglary  and  theft  was  theft,  and  that  steal- 
ing from  a  place  which  was  under  lock  and  key  was 
stealing  from  a  place  under  lock  and  key.  While  he 
was  explaining  this,  he  looked  several  times  at  Nekhludoff 
as  if  wishing  to  impress  upon  him  these  important  facts,  in 
hopes  that,  having  understood  it,  Nekhludoff  would  make 
his  fellow-jurymen  also  understand  it.  When  he  considered 
that  the  jury  were  sufficiently  imbued  with  these  facts,  he 
proceeded  to  enunciate  another  truth — namely,  that  a  mur- 
der is  an  action  which  has  the  death  of  a  human  being  as 
its  consequence,  and  that  poisoning  could  therefore  also 
be  termed  murder.  When,  according  to  his  opinion,  this 
truth  had  also  been  received  by  the  jury,  he  went  on  to  ex-- 
plain  that  if  theft  and  murder  had  been  committed  at  the 
same  time,  the  combination  of  the  crimes  was  theft  with 
murder. 

Although  he  was  himself  anxious  to  finish  as  soon  as 
possible,  although  he  knew  that  his  Swiss  friend  would  be 
waiting  for  him,  he  had  grown  so  used  to  his  occupation 
that,  having  begun  to  speak,  he  could  not  stop  himself,  and 
therefore  he  went  on  to  impress  on  the  jury  with  much  de- 
tail that  if  they  found  the  prisoners  guilty,  they  would  have 
the  right  to  give  a  verdict  of  guilty ;  and  if  they  found  them 
not  guilty,  to  give  a  verdict  of  not  guilty ;  and  if  they  found 
them  guilty  of  one  of  the  crimes  and  not  of  the  other,  they 
might  give  a  verdict  of  guilty  on  the  one  count  and  of  not 
guilty  on  the  other.  Then  he  explained  that  though  this 
right  was  given  them  they  should  use  it  with  reason.     He 


84 


Resurrection 


was  going  to  add  that  if  they  gave  an  affirmative  answer  to 
any  question  that  was  put  to  them  they  would  thereby  af- 
firm everything  included  in  the  question,  so  that  if  they 
did  not  wish  to  affirm  the  whole  of  the  question  they  should 
mention  the  part  of  the  question  they  wished  to  be  ex- 
cepted. But,  glancing  at  the  clock,  and  seeing  it  was  al- 
ready five  minutes  to  three,  he  resolved  to  trust  to  their 
being  intelligent  enough  to  understand  this  without  further 
comment. 

"  The  facts  of  this  case  are  the  following,"  began  the 
president,  and  repeated  all  that  had  already  been  said  sev- 
eral times  by  the  advocates,  the  public  prosecutor  and  the 
witnesses. 

The  president  spoke,  and  the  members  on  each  side  of 
him  listened  with  deeply-attentive  expressions,  but  looked 
from  time  to  time  at  the  clock,  for  they  considered  the 
speech  too  long  though  very  good — i.e.,  such  as  it  ought  to 
be.  The  public  prosecutor,  the  lawyers,  and,  in  fact,  every- 
one in  the  court,  shared  the  same  impression.  The  presi- 
dent finished  the  summing  up.  Then  he  found  it  necessary  to 
tell  the  jury  what  they  all  knew,  or  might  have  found  out  by 
reading  it  up — i.e.,  how  they  were  to  consider  the  case, 
count  the  votes,  in  case  of  a  tie  to  acquit  the  prisoners, 
and  so  on. 

Everything  seemed  to  have  been  told ;  but  no,  the  presi- 
dent could  not  forego  his  right  of  speaking  as  yet.  It  was 
so  pleasant  to  hear  the  impressive  tones  of  his  own  voice, 
and  therefore  he  found  it  necessary  to  say  a  few  words  more 
about  the  importance  of  the  rights  given  to  the  jury,  how 
carefully  they  should  use  the  rights  and  how  they  ought 
not  to  abuse  them,  about  their  being  on  their  oath,  that 
they  were  the  conscience  of  society,  that  the  secrecy  of  the 
debating-room  should  be  considered  sacred,  etc. 

From  the  time  the  president  commenced  his  speech, 
Maslova  watched  him  without  moving  her  eyes  as  if  afraid 
of  losing  a  single  word ;  so  that  Nekhludoff  was  not  afraid 
of  meeting  her  eyes  and  kept  looking  at  her  all  the  time. 
And  his  mind  passed  through  those  phases  in  which  a  face 
which  we  have  not  seen  for  many  years  first  strikes  us  with 
the  outward  changes  brought  about  during  the  time  of 
separation,  and  then  gradually  becomes  more  and  more 
like  its  old  self,  when  the  changes  made  by  time  seem  to 
disappear,  and  before  our  spiritual  eyes  rises  only  the  prin- 


Resurrection  85 

cipal  expression  of  one  exceptional,  unique  individuality. 
Yes,  though  dressed  in  a  prison  cloak,  and  in  spite  of  the 
developed  figure,  the  fulness  of  the  bosom  and  lower  part  of 
the  face,  in  spite  of  a  few  wrinkles  on  the  forehead  and 
temples  and  the  swollen  eyes,  this  was  certainly  the  same 
Katusha  who,  on  that  Easter  eve,  had  so  innocently  looked 
up  to  him  whom  she  loved,  with  her  fond,  laughing  eyes 
full  of  joy  and  life. 

"  What  a  strange  coincidence  that  after  ten  years,  during 
which  I  never  saw  her,  this  case  should  have  come  up  to- 
day when  I  am  on  the  jury,  and  that  it  is  in  the  prisoners' 
dock  that  I  see  her  again !  And  how  will  it  end  ?  Oh,  dear, 
if  they  would  only  get  on  quicker." 

Still  he  would  not  give  in  to  the  feelings  of  repentance 
which  began  to  arise  within  him.  He  tried  to  consider  it  all 
as  a  coincidence,  which  would  pass  without  infringing  his 
manner  of  life.  He  felt  himself  in  the  position  of  a  puppy, 
when  its  master,  taking  it  by  the  scruff  of  its  neck,  rubs  its 
nose  in  the  mess  it  has  made.  The  puppy  whines,  draws 
back  and  wants  to  get  away  as  far  as  possible  from  the  ef- 
fects of  its  misdeed,  but  the  pitiless  master  does  not  let  go. 

And  so,  Nekhludoff,  feeling  all  the  repulsiveness  of  what 
he  had  done,  felt  also  the  powerful  hand  of  the  Master,  but 
he  did  not  feel  the  whole  significance  of  his  action  yet  and 
would  not  recognize  the  Master's  hand.  He  did  not  wish 
to  believe  that  it  was  the  effect  of  his  deed  that  lay  before 
him,  but  the  pitiless  hand  of  the  Master  held  him  and  he  felt 
he  could  not  get  away.  He  was  still  keeping  up  his  cour- 
age and  sat  on  his  chair  in  the  first  row  in  his  usual  self- 
possessed  pose,  one  leg  carelessly  thrown  over  the  other, 
and  playing  with  his  pince-nez.  Yet  all  the  while,  in  the 
depths  of  his  soul,  he  felt  the  cruelty,  cowardice  and  base- 
ness, not  only  of  this  particular  action  of  his  but  of  his 
whole  self-willed,  depraved,  cruel,  idle  life ;  and  that  dread- 
ful veil  which  had  in  some  unaccountable  manner  hidden 
from  him  this  sin  of  his  and  the  whole  of  his  subsequent 
life  was  beginning  to  shake,  and  he  caught  glimpses  of  what 
was  covered  by  that  veil. 


86  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


THE  TRIAL — THE  VERDICT. 


At  last  the  president  finished  his  speech,  and  lifting  the 
list  of  questions  with  a  graceful  movement  of  his  arm  he 
handed  it  to  the  foreman,  who  came  up  to  take  it.  The 
jury,  glad  to  be  able  to  get  into  the  debating-court,  got  up 
one  after  the  other  and  left  the  room,  looking  as  if  a  bit 
ashamed  of  themselves  and  again  not  knowing  what  to  do 
with  their  hands.  As  soon  as  the  door  was  closed  behind 
them  a  gendarme  came  up  to  it,  pulled  his  sword  out  of  the 
scabbard,  and,  holding  it  up  against  his  shoulder,  stood  at 
the  door.  The  judges  got  up  and  went  away.  The  pris- 
oners were  also  led  out.  When  the  jury  came  into  the  de- 
bating-room  the  first  thing  they  did  was  to  take  out  their 
cigarettes,  as  before,  and  begin  smoking.  The  sense  of  the 
unnaturalness  and  falseness  of  their  position,  which  all  of 
them  had  experienced  while  sitting  in  their  places  in  the 
court,  passed  when  they  entered  the  debating-room  and 
started  smoking,  and  they  settled  down  with  a  feeling  of 
relief  and  at  once  began  an  animated  conversation. 

'Tis  n't  the  girl's  fault.  She's  got  mixed  up  in  it."  said 
the  kindly  merchant.  "  We  must  recommend  her  to 
mercy." 

'  That's  just  what  we  are  going  to  consider,"  said  the 
foreman.  '  We  must  not  give  way  to  our  personal  impres- 
sions." 

'  The  president's  summing  up  was  good,"  remarked  the 
colonel. 

"  Good?   Why,  it  nearly  sent  me  to  sleep!" 

'  The  chief  point  is  that  the  servants  could  have  known 
nothing  about  the  money  if  Maslova  had  not  been  in  ac- 
cord with  them,"  said  the  clerk  of  Jewish  extraction. 

'  Well,  do  you  think  that  it  was  she  who  stole  the 
money?  "  asked  one  of  the  jury. 

'  I  will  never  believe  it,"  cried  the  kindly  merchant;  "  it 
was  all  that  red-eyed  hag's  doing." 


Resurrection  87 

"  They  are  a  nice  lot,  all  of  them,"  said  the  colonel. 

"  But  she  says  she  never  went  into  the  room." 

"  Oh,  believe  her  by  all  means." 

"  I  should  not  believe  that  jade,  not  for  the  world." 

"  Whether  you  believe  her  or  not  does  not  settle  the 
question,"  said  the  clerk. 

"  The  girl  had  the  key,"  said  the  colonel. 

"  What  if  she  had?  "  retorted  the  merchant. 

"And  the  ring?" 

"  But  didn't  she  say  all  about  it?"  again  cried  the  mer- 
chant. "  The  fellow  had  a  temper  of  his  own,  and  had  had  a 
drop  too  much  besides,  and  gave  the  girl  a  licking;  what 
could  be  simpler?  Well,  then  he's  sorry — quite  naturally. 
'  There,  never  mind,'  says  he ;  '  take  this.'  Why,  I  heard 
them  say  he  was  six  foot  five  high ;  I  should  think  he  must 
have  weighed  about  20  stones." 

"  That's  not  the  point,"  said  Peter  Gerasimovitch.  '  The 
question  is,  whether  she  was  the  instigator  and  inciter  in 
this  affair,  or  the  servants?" 

"  It  was  not  possible  for  the  servants  to  do  it  alone ;  she 
had  the  key." 

This  kind  of  random  talk  went  on  for  a  considerable 
time.  At  last  the  foreman  said :  "  I  beg  your  pardon,  gen- 
tlemen, but  had  we  not  better  take  our  places  at  the  table 
and  discuss  the  matter?  Come,  please."  And  he  took  the 
chair. 

The  questions  were  expressed  in  the  following  manner : — 

1.  Is  the  peasant  of  the  village  Borki,  Krapivinskia  dis- 
trict, Simeon  Petrov  Kartinkin,  33  years  of  age,  guilty  of 
having,  in  agreement  with  other  persons,  given  the  mer- 
chant Smelkoff,  on  the  17th  January,  188 — ,  in  the  town  of 

N ,  with  intent  to  deprive  him  of  life,  for  the  purpose  of 

robbing  him,  poisoned  brandy,  which  caused  Smelkoff  s 
death,  and  of  having  stolen  from  him  about  2,500  roubles  in 
money  and  a  diamond  ring? 

2.  Is  the  meschanka  Euphemia  Ivanovna  Botchkova,  43 
years  of  age,  guilty  of  the  crimes  described  above  ? 

3.  Is  the  meschanka  Katerina  Michaelovna  Maslova,  27 
years  of  age,  guilty  of  the  crimes  described  in  the  first 
question  ~J 

4.  If  the  prisoner  Euphemia  Botchkova  is  not  guilty  ac- 
cording to  the  first  question,  is  she  not  guilty  of  having,  on 
the  17th  January,  188 — ,  in  the  town  of  N ,  while  in  ser- 


88  Resurrection 

vice  at  the  Hotel  Mauritania,  stolen  from  a  locked  port- 
manteau, belonging  to  the  merchant  Smelkoff,  a  lodger  in 
that  hotel,  and  which  was  in  the  room  occupied  by  him, 
2,500  roubles,  for  which  object  she  unlocked  the  portman- 
teau with  a  key  she  brought  and  fitted  to  the  lock  ? 

The  foreman  read  the  first  question. 

"  Well,  gentlemen,  what  do  you  think  ?  " 

This  question  was  quickly  answered.  All  agreed  to  say 
"  Guilty,"  as  if  convinced  that  Kartinkin  had  taken  part 
both  in  the  poisoning  and  the  robbery.  An  old  artclshik* 
whose  answers  were  all  in  favour  of  acquittal,  was  the  only 
exception. 

The  foreman  thought  he  did  not  understand,  and  began 
to  point  out  to  him  that  everything  tended  to  prove  Kartin- 
kin's  guilt.  The  old  man  answered  that  he  did  understand, 
but  still  thought  it  better  to  have  pity  on  him.  '  We  are 
not  saints  ourselves,"  and  he  kept  to  his  opinion. 

The  answer  to  the  second  question  concerning  Botch- 
kova  was,  after  much  dispute  and  many  exclamations, 
answered  by  the  words,  "  Not  guilty,"  there  being  no  clear 
proofs  of  her  having  taken  part  in  the  poisoning — a  fact  her 
advocate  had  strongly  insisted  on.  The  merchant,  anxious  to 
acquit  Maslova,  insisted  that  Botchkova  was  the  chief  in- 
stigator of  it  all.  Many  of  the  jury  shared  this  view,  but 
the  foreman,  wishing  to  be  in  strict  accord  with  the  law, 
declared  they  had  no  grounds  to  consider  her  as  an  accom- 
plice in  the  poisoning.  After  much  disputing  the  foreman's 
opinion  triumphed. 

To  the  fourth  question  concerning  Botchkova  the  answer 
was  "  Guilty."  But  on  the  artclshik's  insistence  she  was 
recommended  to  mercy. 

The  third  question,  concerning  Maslova,  raised  a  fierce 
dispute.  The  foreman  maintained  she  was  guilty  both  of 
the  poisoning  and  the  theft,  to  which  the  merchant  would 
not  agree.  The  colonel,  the  clerk  and  the  old  artclshik 
sided  with  the  merchant,  the  rest  seemed  shaky,  and  the 
opinion  of  the  foreman  began  to  gain  ground,  chiefly  be- 
cause all  the  jurymen  were  getting  tired,  and  preferred  to 
take  up  the  view  that  would  bring  them  sooner  to  a  deci- 
sion and  thus  liberate  them. 

From  all  that  had  passed,  and  from  his  former  knowledge 

*  Member  of  an  artel,  an  association  of  workmen,  in  which  the 
members  share  profits  and  liabilities. 


Resurrection  89 

of  Maslova,  Nekhludoff  was  certain  that  she  was  innocent 
of  both  the  theft  and  the  poisoning.  And  he  felt  sure  that 
all  the  others  would  come  to  the  same  conclusion.  When 
he  saw  that  the  merchant's  awkward  defence  (evidently 
based  on  his  physical  admiration  for  her,  which  he  did  not 
even  try  to  hide)  and  the  foreman's  insistence,  and  espe- 
cially everybody's  weariness,  were  all  tending  to  her  con- 
demnation, he  longed  to  state  his  objections,  yet  dared  not, 
lest  his  relations  with  Maslova  should  be  discovered.  He 
felt  he  could  not  allow  things  to  go  on  without  stating  his 
objection;  and,  blushing  and  growing  pale  again,  was 
about  to  speak  when  Peter  Gerasimovitch,  irritated  by  the 
authoritative  manner  of  the  foreman,  began  to  raise  his  ob- 
jections and  said  the  very  things  Nekhludoff  was  about  to 
say. 

"  Allow  me  one  moment,"  he  said.  "  You  seem  to  think 
that  her  having  the  key  proves  she  is  guilty  of  the  theft; 
but  what  could  be  easier  than  for  the  servants  to  open  the 
portmanteau  with  a  false  key  after  she  was  gone  ?  ': 

"  Of  course,  of  course,"  said  the  merchant. 

"  She  could  not  have  taken  the  money,  because  in  her 
position  she  would  hardly  know  what  to  do  with  it." 

"  That's  just  what  I  say,"  remarked  the  merchant. 

"  But  it  is  very  likely  that  her  coming  put  the  idea  into 
the  servants'  heads  and  that  they  grasped  the  opportunity 
and  shoved  all  the  blame  on  her." 

Peter  Gerasimovitch  spoke  so  irritably  that  the  foreman 
became  irritated  too,  and  went  on  obstinately  defending 
the  opposite  views ;  but  Peter  Gerasimovitch  spoke  so  con- 
vincingly that  the  majority  agreed  with  him,  and  decided 
that  Maslova  was  not  guilty  of  stealing  the  money  and  that 
the  ring  was  given  her. 

But  when  the  question  of  her  having  taken  part  in  the 
poisoning  was  raised,  her  zealous  defender,  the  merchant, 
declared  that  she  must  be  acquitted,  because  she  could  have 
no  reason  for  the  poisoning.  The  foreman,  however,  said 
that  it  was  impossible  to  acquit  her,  because  she  herself  had 
pleaded  guilty  to  having  given  the  powder. 

"  Yes,  but  thinking  it  was  opium,"  said  the  merchant. 

"  Opium  can  also  deprive  one  of  life,"  said  the  colonel, 
who  was  fond  of  wandering  from  the  subject,  and  he  began 
telling  how  his  brother-in-law's  wife  would  have  died  of  an 
overdose  of  opium  if  there  had  not  been  a  doctor  near  at 


90  Resurrection 

hand  to  take  the  necessary  measures.  The  colonel  told  his 
story  so  impressively,  with  such  self-possession  and  dignity, 
that  no  one  had  the  courage  to  interrupt  him.  Only  the 
clerk,  infected  by  his  example,  decided  to  break  in  with  a 
story  of  his  own :  "  There  are  some  who  get  so  used  to  it 

that  they  can  take  40  drops.     I  have  a  relative ,"  but 

the  colonel  would  not  stand  the  interruption,  and  went  on 
to  relate  what  effects  the  opium  had  on  his  brother-in-law's 
wife. 

"  But,  gentlemen,  do  you  know  it  is  getting  on  towards 
five  o'clock?  "  said  one  of  the  jury. 

"  Well,  gentlemen,  what  are  we  to  say,  then  ?  "  inquired 
the  foreman.  "  Shall  we  say  she  is  guilty,  but  without  in- 
tent to  rob?  And  without  stealing  any  property?  Will 
that  do?" 

Peter  Gerasimovitch,  pleased  with  his  victory,  agreed. 

"  But  she  must  be  recommended  to  mercy,"  said  the 
merchant. 

All  agreed  ;  only  the  old  artclshik  insisted  that  they  should 
say  "  Not  guilty." 

'  It  comes  to  the  same  thing,"  explained  the  foreman ; 
"  without  intent  to  rob,  and  without  stealing  any  property. 
Therefore,  '  Not  guilty,'  that's  evident." 

"  All  right ;  that'll  do.  And  we  recommend  her  to 
mercy,"  said  the  merchant,  gaily. 

They  were  all  so  tired,  so  confused  by  the  discussions, 
that  nobody  thought  of  saying  that  she  was  guilty  of  giv- 
ing the  powder  but  without  the  intent  of  taking  life.  Nekh- 
ludoff  was  so  excited  that  he  did  not  notice  this  omission, 
and  so  the  answers  were  written  down  in  the  form  agreed 
upon  and  taken  to  the  court. 

Rabelais  says  that  a  lawyer  who  was  trying  a  case  quoted 
all  sorts  of  laws,  read  20  pages  of  judicial  senseless  Latin, 
and  then  proposed  to  the  judges  to  throw  dice,  and  if  the 
numbers  proved  odd  the  defendant  would  be  right,  if  not, 
the  plaintiff. 

It  was  much  the  same  in  this  case.  The  resolution  was 
taken,  not  because  everybody  agreed  upon  it,  but  because 
the  president,  who  had  been  summing  up  at  such  length, 
omitted  to  say  what  he  always  said  on  such  occasions,  that 
the  answer  might  be,  '  Yes,  guilty,  but  without  the  intent 
of  taking  life ;"  because  the  colonel  had  related  the  story  of 
his   brother-in-law's   wife    at   such    great    length ;    because 


Resurrection  91 

Nekhludoff  was  too  excited  to  notice  that  the  proviso 
"  without  intent  to  take  life "  had  been  omitted,  and 
thought  that  the  words  "  without  intent  "  nullified  the  con- 
viction ;  because  Peter  Gerasimovitch  had  retired  from  the 
room  while  the  questions  and  answers  were  being  read,  and 
chiefly  because,  being  tired,  and  wishing  to  get  away  as 
soon  as  possible,  all  were  ready  to  agree  with  the  decision 
which  would  bring  matters  to  an  end  soonest. 

The  jurymen  rang  the  bell.  The  gendarme  who  had 
stood  outside  the  door  with  his  sword  drawn  put  the  sword 
back  into  the  scabbard  and  stepped  aside.  The  judges  took 
their  seats  and  the  jury  came  out  one  by  one. 

The  foreman  brought  in  the  paper  with  an  air  of  solem- 
nity and  handed  it  to  the  president,  who  looked  at  it,  and, 
spreading  out  his  hands  in  astonishment,  turned  to  consult 
his  companions.  The  president  was  surprised  that  the  jury, 
having  put  in  a  proviso — without  intent  to  rob — did  not  put 
in  a  second  proviso — without  intent  to  take  life.  From  the 
decision  of  the  jury  it  followed  that  Maslova  had  not  stolen, 
nor  robbed,  and  yet  poisoned  a  man  without  any  apparent 
reason. 

'  Just  see  what  an  absurd  decision  they  have  come  to," 
he  whispered  to  the  member  on  his  left.  '  This  means 
penal  servitude  in  Siberia,  and  she  is  innocent." 

"Surely  you  do  not  mean  to  say  she  is  innocent?'' 
answered  the  serious  member. 

"  Yes,  she  is  positively  innocent.  I  think  this  is  a  case 
for  putting  Article  817  into  practice  (Article  817  states  that 
if  the  Court  considers  the  decision  of  the  jury  unjust  it  may 
set  it  aside)." 

"  What  do  you  think?  "  said  the  president,  turning  to  the 
other  member.  The  kindly  member  did  not  answer  at 
once.  He  looked  at  the  number  on  a  paper  before  him  and 
added  up  the  figures ;  the  sum  would  not  divide  by  three. 
He  had  settled  in  his  mind  that  if  it  did  divide  by  three  he 
would  agree  to  the  president's  proposal,  but  though  the 
sum  would  not  so  divide  his  kindness  made  him  agree  all 
the  same. 

"  I,  too,  think  it  should  be  done,"  he  said. 

"  And  you?  "  asked  the  president,  turning  to  the  serious 
member. 

"  On  no  account,"  he  answered,  firmly.  "  As  it  is,  the 
papers  accuse  the  jury  of  acquitting  prisoners.     What  will 


9  2  Resurrection 

they  say  if  the  Court  does  it?  I  shall  not  agree  to  that  on 
any  account." 

The  president  looked  at  his  watch.  "  It  is  a  pity,  but 
what's  to  be  done  ?  "  and  handed  the  questions  to  the  fore- 
man to  read  out.  All  got  up,  and  the  foreman,  stepping 
from  foot  to  foot,  coughed,  and  read  the  questions  and  the 
answers.  All  the  Court,  secretary,  advocates,  and  even  the 
public  prosecutor,  expressed  surprise.  The  prisoners  sat 
impassive,  evidently  not  understanding  the  meaning  of  the 
answers.  Everybody  sat  down  again,  and  the  president 
asked  the  prosecutor  what  punishments  the  prisoners  were 
to  be  subjected  to. 

The  prosecutor,  glad  of  his  unexpected  success  in  getting 
Maslova  convicted,  and  attributing  the  success  entirely  to 
his  own  eloquence,  looked  up  the  necessary  information, 
rose  and  said : 

"  With  Simeon  Kartinkin  I  should  deal  according  to 
Statute  1,452  paragraph  93.  Euphemia  Botchkova  accord- 
ing to  Statute  .  .  .,  etc.  Katerina  Maslova  according 
to  Statute     .     .     .,  etc." 

All  three  punishments  were  the  heaviest  that  could  be 
inflicted. 

"  The  Court  will  adjourn  to  consider  the  sentence,"  said 
the  president,  rising.  Everybody  rose  after  him,  and  with 
the  pleasant  feeling  of  a  task  well  done  began  to  leave  the 
room  or  move  about  in  it. 

"  D'you  know,  sirs,  we  have  made  a  shameful  hash  of 
it?"  said  Peter  Gerasimovitch,  approaching  Nekhludoff,  to 
whom  the  foreman  was  relating  something.  "Why,  we've 
got  her  to  Siberia." 

"What  are  you  saying?"  exclaimed  Nekhludoff.  This 
time  he  did  not  notice  the  teacher's  familiarity. 

"  Why,  we  did  not  put  in  our  answer  '  Guilty,  but  with- 
out intent  of  causing  death.'  The  secretary  just  told  me  the 
public  prosecutor  is  for  condemning  her  to  15  years'  penal 
servitude." 

"  Well,  but  it  was  decided  so,"  said  the  foreman. 

Peter  Gerasimovitch  began  to  dispute  this,  saying  that 
since  she  did  not  take  the  money  it  followed  naturally  that 
she  could  not  have  had  any  intention  of  committing  murder. 

"  But  I  read  the  answer  before  going  out,"  said  the  fore- 
man, defending  himself,  "  and  nobody  objected." 

"  I   had  just  then  gone  out  of  the  room,"   said   Peter 


Resurrection  93 

Gerasimovitch,  turning  to  Nekhludoff,  "  and  your  thoughts 
must  have  been  wool-gathering  to  let  the  thing  pass." 

"  I  never  imagined  this,"  Nekhludoff  replied. 

"Oh,  you  didn't?" 

"  Oh,  well,  we  can  get  it  put  right,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

"  Oh,  dear  no  ;  it's  finished." 

Nekhludoff  looked  at  the  prisoners.  They  whose  fate 
was  being  decided  still  sat  motionless  behind  the  grating  in 
front  of  the  soldiers.  Maslova  was  smiling.  Another  feel- 
ing stirred  in  Nekhludoff's  soul.  Up  to  now,  expecting  her 
acquittal  and  thinking  she  would  remain  in  the  town,  he 
was  uncertain  how  to  act  towards  her.  Any  kind  of  re- 
lations with  her  would  be  so  very  difficult.  But  Siberia  and 
penal  servitude  at  once  cut  off  every  possibility  of  any  kind 
of  relations  with  her.  The  wounded  bird  would  stop  strug- 
gling in  the  game-bag,  and  no  longer  remind  him  of  its 
existence. 


94  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


THE   TRIAL THE    SENTENCE. 


Peter  Gerasimovitch's  assumption  was  correct.  The 
president  came  back  from  the  debating  room  with  a  paper, 
and  read  as  follows : — "  April  28th,  188 — .   By  His  Imperial 

Majesty's  ukase  No.  The    Criminal    Court,    on    the 

strength  of  the  decision  of  the  jury,  in  accordance  with  Sec- 
tion 3  of  Statute  771,  Section  3  of  Statutes  776  and  yyy,  de- 
crees that  the  peasant,  Simeon  Kartinkin,  33  years  of  age, 
and  the  meschanka  Katerina  Maslova,  2J  years  of  age,  are 
to  be  deprived  of  all  property  rights  and  to  be  sent  to  penal 
servitude  in  Siberia,  Kartinkin  for  eight,  Maslova  for  four 
years,  with  the  consequences  stated  in  Statute  25  of  the 
code.  The  meschanka  Botchkova,  43  years  of  age,  to  be 
deprived  of  all  special  personal  and  acquired  rights,  and  to 
be  imprisoned  for  three  years  with  consequences  in  accord 
with  Statute  48  of  the  code.  The  costs  of  the  case  to  be 
borne  equally  by  the  prisoners ;  and,  in  the  case  of  their 
being  without  sufficient  property,  the  costs  to  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  Treasury.  Articles  of  material  evidence  to  be 
sold,  the  ring  to  be  returned,  the  phials  destroyed."  Botch- 
kova was  condemned  to  prison,  Simeon  Kartinken  and 
Katerina  Maslova  to  the  loss  of  all  special  rights  and 
privileges  and  to  penal  servitude  in  Siberia,  he  for  eight  and 
she  for  four  years. 

Kartinkin  stood  holding  his  arms  close  to  his  sides  and 
moving  his  lips.  Botchkova  seemed  perfectly  calm. 
Maslova,  when  she  heard  the  sentence,  blushed  scarlet. 
"  I'm  not  guilty,  not  guilty !  "  she  suddenly  cried,  so  that  it 
resounded  through  the  room.  '  It  is  a  sin !  I  am  not 
guilty !  I  never  wished — I  never  thought !  It  is  the  truth  I 
am  saying — the  truth !  "  and  sinking  on  the  bench  she  burst 
into  tears  and  sobbed  aloud.  When  Kartinkin  and  Botch- 
kova went  out  she  still  sat  crying,  so  that  a  gendarme  had 
to  touch  the  sleeve  of  her  cloak. 

"  No ;  it  is  impossible  to  leave  it  as  it  is,"  said  Nekhludoff 


Resurrection  95 

to  himself,  utterly  forgetting  his  bad  thoughts.  He  did 
not  know  why  he  wished  to  look  at  her  once  more,  but 
hurried  out  into  the  corridor.  There  was  quite  a  crowd  at 
the  door.  The  advocates  and  jury  were  going  out,  pleased 
to  have  finished  the  business,  and  he  was  obliged  to  wait 
a  few  seconds,  and  when  he  at  last  got  out  into  the  corridor 
she  was  far  in  front.  He  hurried  along  the  corridor  after 
her,  regardless  of  the  attention  he  was  arousing,  caught 
her  up,  passed  her,  and  stopped.  She  had  ceased  crying 
and  only  sobbed,  wiping  her  red,  discoloured  face  with  the 
end  of  the  kerchief  on  her  head.  She  passed  without  notic- 
ing him.  Then  he  hurried  back  to  see  the  president.  The 
latter  had  already  left  the  court,  and  -Nekhludoff  followed 
him  into  the  lobby  and  went  up  to  him  just  as  he  had  put 
on  his  light  grey  overcoat  and  was  taking  the  silver- 
mounted  walking-stick  which  an  attendant  was  handing 
him. 

"  Sir,  may  I  have  a  few  words  with  you  concerning  some 
business  I  have  just  decided  upon?1'  said  Nekhludoff.  '  I 
am  one  of  the  jury." 

"  Oh,  certainly,  Prince  Nekhludoff.  I  shall  be  delighted. 
I  think  we  have  met  before,"  said  the  president,  pressing 
Nekhludoff's  hand  and  recalling  with  pleasure  the  evening 
when  he  first  met  Nekhludoff,  and  when  he  had  danced  so 
gailv,  better  than  all  the  young  people.  "  What  can  I  do  for 
you  ?  " 

1  There  is  a  mistake  in  the  answer  concerning  Maslova. 
She  is  not  guilty  of  the  poisoning  and  yet  she  is  condemned 
to  penal  servitude,"  said  Nekhludoff,  with  a  preoccupied 
and  gloomy  air. 

'  The  Court  passed  the  sentence  in  accordance  with  the 
answers  you  yourselves  gave,"  said  the  president,  moving 
towards  the  front  door ;  "  though  they  did  not  seem  to  be 
quite  in  accord."  And  he  remembered  that  he  had  been 
going  to  explain  to  the  jury  that  a  verdict  of  "  guilty  " 
meant  guilty  of  intentional  murder  unless  the  words  "  with- 
out intent  to  take  life  "  were  added,  but  had,  in  his  hurry  to 
get  the  business  over,  omitted  to  do  so. 

'  Yes,  but  could  not  the  mistake  be  rectified  ?  " 

"  A  reason  for  an  appeal  can  always  be  found.  You  will 
have  to  speak  to  an  advocate,"  said  the  president,  putting 
on  his  hat  a  little  to  one  side  and  continuing  to  move 
towards  the  door. 


96 


Resurrection 


"  But  this  is  terrible." 

'  Well,  you  see,  there  were  two  possibilities  before  Mas- 
lova,"  said  the  president,  evidently  wishing  to  be  as  polite 
and  pleasant  to  Nekhludoff  as  he  could.  Then,  having  ar- 
ranged his  whiskers  over  his  coat  collar,  he  put  his  hand 
lightly  under  Nekhludoff's  elbow,  and,  still  directing  his 
steps  towards  the  front  door,  he  said,  "  You  are  going, 
too?" 

'  Yes,"  said  Nekhludoff,  quickly  getting  his  coat,  and 
following  him. 

They  went  out  into  the  bright,  merry  sunlight,  and  had 
to  raise  their  voices  because  of  the  rattling  of  the  wheels  on 
the  pavement. 

'  The  situation  is  a  curious  one,  you  see,"  said  the  presi- 
dent ;  "  what  lay  before  this  Maslova  was  one  of  two  things  : 
either  to  be  almost  acquitted  and  only  imprisoned  for  a 
short  time,  or,  taking  the  preliminary  confinement  into 
consideration,  perhaps  not  at  all — or  Siberia.  There  is 
nothing  between.  Had  you  but  added  the  words,  '  without 
intent  to  cause  death,'  she  would  have  been  acquitted." 

'  Yes,  it  was  inexcusable  of  me  to  omit  that,"  said  Nekh- 
ludoff. 

"  That's  where  the  whole  matter  lies,"  said  the  president, 
with  a  smile,  and  looked  at  his  watch.  He  had  only  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour  left  before  the  time  appointed  by  his 
Clara  would  elapse. 

'  Now,  if  you  like  to  speak  to  the  advocates  you'll  have 
to  find  a  reason  for  an  appeal ;  that  can  be  easily  done." 
Then,  turning  to  an  isvostcJiik,  he  called  out,  "  To  the 
Dvoryanskaya  30  copecks ;  I  never  give  more." 

"  All  right,  your  honour ;  here  you  are." 

:'  Good-afternoon.  If  I  can  be  of  any  use,  my  address  is 
House  Dvornikoff,  on  the  Dvoryanskaya ;  it's  easy  to  re- 
member." And  he  bowed  in  a  friendly  manner  as  he  got 
into  the  trap  and  drove  off. 


Resurrection  97 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

NEKHLUDOFF    CONSULTS    AN    ADVOCATE. 

His  conversation  with  the  president  and  the  fresh  air 
quieted  Nekhludoff  a  little.  He  now  thought  that  the  feel- 
ings experienced  by  him  had  been  exaggerated  by  the  un- 
usual surroundings  in  which  he  had  spent  the  whole  of 
the  morning,  and  by  that  wonderful  and  startling  coinci- 
dence. Still,  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  take  some  steps 
to  lighten  Maslova's  fate,  and  to  take  them  quickly.  "  Yes, 
at  once !  It  will  be  best  to  find  out  here  in  the  court  where 
the  advocate  Fanarin  or  Mikishin  lives."  These  were  two 
well-known  advocates  whom  Nekhludoff  called  to  mind. 
He  returned  to  the  court,  took  off  his  overcoat,  and  went 
upstairs.  In  the  first  corridor  he  met  Fanarin  himself.  He 
stopped  him,  and  told  him  that  he  was  just  going  to  look 
him  up  on  a  matter  of  business. 

Fanarin  knew  Nekhludoff  by  sight  and  name,  and  said 
he  would  be  very  glad  to  be  of  service  to  him. 

'  Though  I  am  rather  tired,  still,  if  your  business  will  not 
take  very  long,  perhaps  you  might  tell  me  what  it  is  now. 
Will  you  step  in  here  ?  "  And  he  led  Nekhludoff  into  a 
room,  probably  some  judge's  cabinet.  They  sat  down  by 
the  table. 

"  Well,  and  what  is  your  business?  " 

"  First  of  all,  I  must  ask  you  to  keep  the  business  private. 
I  do  not  want  it  known  that  I  take  an  interest  in  the  affair." 

"  Oh,  that  of  course.    Well  ?  " 

"  I  was  on  the  jury  to-day,  and  we  have  condemned  a 
woman  to  Siberia,  an  innocent  woman.  This  bothers  me 
very  much."  Nekhludoff,  to  his  own  surprise,  blushed  and 
became  confused.  Fanarin  glanced  at  him  rapidly,  and 
looked  down  again,  listening. 

"Well?" 

'  We  have  condemned  a  woman,  and  I  should  like  to 
appeal  to  a  higher  court." 


98  Resurrection 

'  To  the  Senate,  you  mean,"  said  Fanarin,  correcting 
him. 

'  Yes,  and  I  should  like  to  ask  you  to  take  the  case  in 
hand."  Nekhludoff  wanted  to  get  the  most  difficult  part 
over,  and  added,  "  I  shall  take  the  costs  of  the  case  on  my- 
self, whatever  they  may  be." 

"  Oh,  we  shall  settle  all  that,"  said  the  advocate,  smiling 
with  condescension  at  Nekhludoff  s  inexperience  in  these 
matters.    "  What  is  the  case?  " 

Nekhludoff  stated  what  had  happened. 

"  All  right.  I  shall  look  the  case  through  to-morrow  or 
the  day  after — no — better  on  Thursday.  If  you  will  come 
to  me  at  six  o'clock  I  will  give  you  an  answer.  Well,  and 
now  let  us  go ;  I  have  to  make  a  few  inquiries  here." 

Nekhludoff  took  leave  of  him  and  went  out.  This  talk 
with  the  advocate,  and  the  fact  that  he  had  taken  measures 
for  Maslova's  defence,  quieted  him  still  further.  He  went 
out  into  the  street.  The  weather  was  beautiful,  and  he  joy- 
fully drew  in  a  long  breath  of  spring  air.  He  was  at  once 
surrounded  by  isvostchiks  offering  their  services,  but  he 
went  on  foot.  A  whole  swarm  of  pictures  and  memories 
of  Katusha  and  his  conduct  to  her  began  whirling  in  his 
brain,  and  he  felt  depressed  and  everything  appeared 
gloomy.  '  No,  I  shall  consider  all  this  later  on ;  I  must 
now  get  rid  of  all  these  disagreeable  impressions,"  he 
thought  to  himself. 

He  remembered  the  Korchagin's  dinner  and  looked  at 
his  watch.  It  was  not  yet  too  late  to  get  there  in  time. 
He  heard  the  ring  of  a  passing  tramcar,  ran  to  catch  it,  and 
jumped  on.  He  jumped  off  again  when  they  got  to  the 
market-place,  took  a  good  isvostcliik,  and  ten  minutes  later 
was  at  the  entrance  of  the  Korchagins'  big  house. 


Resurrection 


99 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE    HOUSE   OF    KORCHAGIN. 

"  Please  to  walk  in,  your  excellency,"  said  the  friendly, 
fat  doorkeeper  of  the  Korchagins'  big  house,  opening  the 
door,  which  moved  noiselessly  on  its  patent  English  hinges ; 
"  you  are  expected.  They  are  at  dinner.  My  orders  were 
to  admit  only  you."  The  doorkeeper  went  as  far  as  the 
staircase  and  rang. 

"Are  there  any  strangers?"  asked  Nekhludoff,  taking 
off  his  overcoat. 

"  Mr.  Kolosoff  and  Michael  Sergeivitch  only,  besides  the 
family." 

A  very  handsome  footman  with  whiskers,  in  a  swallow- 
tail coat  and  white  gloves,  looked  down  from  the  landing. 

'  Please  to  walk  up,  your  excellency,"  he  said.  "  You 
are  expected." 

Nekhludoff  went  up  and  passed  through  the  splendid 
large  dancing-room,  which  he  knew  so  well,  into  the  din- 
ing-room. There  the  whole  Korchagin  family — except  the 
mother,  Sophia  Vasilievna,  who  never  left  her  cabinet — 
were  sitting  round  the  table.  At  the  head  of  the  table  sat 
old  Korchagin ;  on  his  left  the  doctor,  and  on  his  right,  a 
visitor,  Ivan  Ivanovitch  Kolosoff,  a  former  Marcchal  de 
Noblesse,  now  a  bank  director,  Korchagin's  friend  and  a 
Liberal.  Next  on  the  left  side  sat  Miss  Rayner,  the  gover- 
ness of  Missy's  little  sister,  and  the  four-year-old  girl  her- 
self. Opposite  them,  Missy's  brother,  Petia,  the  only  son  of 
the  Korchagins,  a  public-school  boy  of  the  Sixth  Class. 
It  was  because  of  his  examinations  that  the  whole  family 
were  still  in  town.  Next  to  him  sat  a  University  student 
who  was  coaching  him,  and  Missy's  cousin,  Michael  Ser- 
geivitch Telegin,  generally  called  Misha ;  opposite  him, 
Katerina  Alexeevna,  a  40-year-old  maiden  lady,  a  Slavo- 
phil;  and  at  the  foot  of  the  "table  sat  Missy  herself,  with  an 
empty  place  by  her  side. 


i  oo  Resurrection 

"  Ah !  that's  right !  Sit  down.  We  are  still  at  the  fish," 
said  old  Korchagin  with  difficulty,  chewing  carefully  with 
his  false  teeth,  and  lifting  his  bloodshot  eyes  (which  had  no 
visible  lids  to  them)  to  Nekhludoff. 

"  Stephen !  "  he  said,  with  his  mouth  full,  addressing  the 
stout,  dignified  butler,  and  pointing  with  his  eyes  to  the 
empty  place.  Though  Nekhludoff  knew  Korchagin  very 
well,  and  had  often  seen  him  at  dinner,  to-day  this  red  face 
with  the  sensual  smacking  lips,  the  fat  neck  above  the 
napkin  stuck  into  his  waistcoat,  and  the  whole  over-fed 
military  figure,  struck  him  very  disagreeably.  Then  Nekh- 
ludoff remembered,  without  wishing  to,  what  he  knew  of  the 
cruelty  of  this  man,  who,  when  in  command,  used  to  have 
men  flogged,  and  even  hanged,  without  rhyme  or  reason, 
simply  because  he  was  rich  and  had  no  need  to  curry 
favour. 

"  Immediately,  your  excellency,"  said  Stephen,  getting 
a  large  soup  ladle  out  of  the  sideboard,  which  was  decorated 
with  a  number  of  silver  vases.  He  made  a  sign  with  his  head 
to  the  handsome  footman,  who  began  at  once  to  arrange 
the  untouched  knives  and  forks  and  the  napkin,  elaborately 
folded  with  the  embroidered  family  crest  uppermost,  in 
front  of  the  empty  place  next  to  Missy.  Nekhludoff  went 
round  shaking  hands  with  every  one,  and  all,  except  old 
Korchagin  and  the  ladies,  rose  when  he  approached.  And 
this  walk  round  the  table,  this  shaking  the  hands  of  people, 
with  many  of  whom  he  never  talked,  seemed  unpleasant 
and  odd.  He  excused  himself  for  being  late,  and  was  about 
to  sit  down  between  Missy  and  Katerina  Alexeevna,  but  old 
Korchagin  insisted  that  if  he  would  not  take  a  glass  of 
vodka  he  should  at  least  take  a  bit  of  something  to  whet  his 
appetite,  at  the  side  table,  on  which  stood  small  dishes  of 
lobster,  caviare,  cheese,  and  salt  herrings.  Nekhludoff  did 
not  know  how  hungry  he  was  until  he  began  to  eat,  and 
then,  having  taken  some  bread  and  cheese,  he  went  on  eat- 
ing eagerly. 

"  Well,  have  you  succeeded  in  undermining  the  basis  of 
society?"  asked  Kolosoff,  ironically  quoting  an  expression 
used  by  a  retrogade  newspaper  in  attacking  trial  by  jury. 
"  Acquitted  the  culprits  and  condemned  the  innocent,  have 
you?" 

'  Undermining  the  basis — undermining  the    basis,"    re- 
peated Prince   Korchagin,  laughing.       He  had  a  firm  faith 


Resurrection  101 

in  the  wisdom  and  learning  of  his  chosen  friend  and  com- 
panion. 

At  the  risk  of  seeming  rude,  Nekhludoff  left  Kolosoff's 
question  unanswered,  and  sitting  down  to  his  steaming 
soup,  went  on  eating. 

"  Do  let  him  eat,"  said  Missy,  with  a  smile.  The  pro- 
noun him  she  used  as  a  reminder  of  her  intimacy  with 
Nekhludoff.  Kolosoff  went  on  in  a  loud  voice  and  lively 
manner  to  give  the  contents  of  the  article  against  trial  by 
jury  which  had  aroused  his  indignation.  Missy's  cousin, 
Michael  Sergeivitch,  endorsed  all  his  statements,  and  re- 
lated the  contents  of  another  article  in  the  same  paper. 
Missy  was,  as  usual,  very  distingiice,  and  well,  unobtru- 
sively well,  dressed. 

"  You  must  be  terribly  tired,"  she  said,  after  waiting  until 
Nekhludoff  had  swallowed  what  was  in  his  mouth. 

"Not  particularly.  And  you?  Have  you  been  to  look 
at  the  pictures?"  he  asked. 

"  No,  we  put  that  off.  We  have  been  playing  tennis  at 
the  Salamatoffs'.  It  is  quite  true,  Mr.  Crooks  plays  re- 
markably well." 

Nekhludoff  had  come  here  in  order  to  distract  his 
thoughts,  for  he  used  to  like  being  in  this  house,  both  be- 
cause its  refined  luxury  had  a  pleasant  effect  on  him  and 
because  of  the  atmosphere  of  tender  flattery  that  unobtru- 
sively surrounded  him.  But  to-day  everything  in  the  house 
was  repulsive  to  him — everything:  beginning  with  the 
doorkeeper,  the  broad  staircase,  the  flowers,  the  footman,  the 
table  decorations,  up  to  Missy  herself,  who  to-day  seemed 
unattractive  and  affected.  Kolosoff's  self-assured,  trivial 
tone  of  liberalism  was  unpleasant,  as  was  also  the  sensual, 
self-satisfied,  bull-like  appearance  of  old  Korchagin,  and  the 
French  phrases  of  Katerina  Alexeevna,  the  Slavophil.  The 
constrained  looks  of  the  governess  and  the  student  were  un- 
pleasant, too,  but  most  unpleasant  of  all  was  the  pronoun 
him  that  Missy  had  used.  Nekhludoff  had  long  been  wavering 
between  two  ways  of  regarding  Missy ;  sometimes  he 
looked  at  her  as  if  by  moonlight,  and  could  see  in  her  noth- 
ing but  what  was  beautiful,  fresh,  pretty,  clever  and  natural ; 
then  suddenly,  as  if  the  bright  sun  shone  on  her,  he  saw 
her  defects  and  could  not  help  seeing  them.  This  was 
such  a  day  for  him.  To-day  he  saw  all  the  wrinkles  of  her 
face,  knew  which  of  her  teeth  were  false,  saw  the  way  her 


102  Resurrection 

hair  was  crimped,  the  sharpness  of  her  elbows,  and,  above 
all,  how  large  her  thumb-nail  was  and  how  like  her  father's. 

'  Tennis  is  a  dull  game,"  said  Kolosoff ;  "  we  used  to  play 
laptd  when  we  were  children.  That  was  much  more  amus- 
ing." 

"  Oh,  no,  you  never  tried  it ;  it's  awfully  interesting,"  said 
Missy,  laying,  it  seemed  to  Nekhludoff,  a  very  affected 
stress  on  the  word  "  awfully."  Then  a  dispute  arose  in 
which  Michael  Sergeivitch,  Katerina  Alexeevna  and  all  the 
others  took  part,  except  the  governess,  the  student  and  the 
children,  who  sat  silent  and  wearied. 

"Oh,  these  everlasting  disputes!"  said  old  Korchagin, 
laughing,  and  he  pulled  the  napkin  out  of  his  waistcoat, 
noisily  pushed  back  his  chair,  which  the  footman  instantly 
caught  hold  of,  and  left  the  table. 

Everybody  rose  after  him,  and  went  up  to  another  table 
on  which  stood  glasses  of  scented  water.  They  rinsed  their 
mouths,  then  resumed  the  conversation,  interesting  to  no 
one. 

"Don't  you  think  so?"  said  Missy  to  Nekhludoff,  call- 
ing for  a  confirmation  of  the  statement  that  nothing  shows 
up  a  man's  character  like  a  game.  She  noticed  that  preoc- 
cupied and,  as  it  seemed  to  her,  dissatisfied  look  which  she 
feared,  and  she  wanted  to  find  out  what  had  caused  it. 

"  Really,  I  can't  tell ;  I  have  never  thought  about  it," 
Nekhludoff  answered. 

"  Will  you  come  to  mamma?  "  asked  Missy. 
'  Yes,  yes,"  he  said,  in  a  tone  which  plainly  proved  that 
he  did  not  want  to  go,  and  took  out  a  cigarette. 

She  looked  at  him  in  silence,  with  a  questioning  look, 
and  he  felt  ashamed.  "  To  come  into  a  house  and  give  the 
people  the  dumps,"  he  thought  about  himself;  then,  trying 
to  be  amiable,  said  that  he  would  go  with  pleasure  if  the 
princess  would  admit  him. 

"  Oh,  yes !  Mamma  will  be  pleased.  You  may  smoke 
there ;  and  Ivan  Ivanovitch  is  also  there." 

The  mistress  of  the  house,  Princess  Sophia  Vasilievna, 
was  a  recumbent  lady.  It  was  the  eighth  year  that,  when 
visitors  were  present,  she  lay  in  lace  and  ribbons,  sur- 
rounded with  velvet,  gilding,  ivory,  bronze,  lacquer  and 
flowers,  never  going  out,  and  only,  as  she  put  it,  receiving 
intimate  friends,  i.e.,  those  who  according  to  her  idea  stood 
out  from  the  common  herd. 


Resurrection  103 

Nekhludoff  was  admitted  into  the  number  of  these 
friends  because  he  was  considered  clever,  because  his 
mother  had  been  an  intimate  friend  of  the  family,  and  be- 
cause it  was  desirable  that  Missy  should  marry  him. 

Sophia  Vasilievna's  room  lay  beyond  the  large  and  the 
small  drawing-rooms.  In  the  large  drawing-room,  Missy, 
who  was  in  front  of  Nekhludoff,  stopped  resolutely,  and 
taking  hold  of  the  back  of  a  small  green  chair,  faced  him. 

Missy  was  very  anxious  to  get  married,  and  as  he  was  a 
suitable  match  and  she  also  liked  him,  she  had  accustomed 
herself  to  the  thought  that  he  should  be  hers  (not  she  his). 
To  lose  him  would  be  very  mortifying.  She  now  began 
talking  to  him  in  order  to  get  him  to  explain  his  intentions. 

"  I  see  something  has  happened,"  she  said.  '  Tell  me, 
what  is  the  matter  with  you?  ". 

He  remembered  the  meeting  in  the  law  court,  and 
frowned  and  blushed. 

"  Yes,  something  has  happened,"  he  said,  wishing  to  be 
truthful ;  "  a  veryunusual  and  serious  event." 

"  What  is  it,  then?   Can  you  not  tell  me  what  it  is?  " 

She  was  pursuing  her  aim  with  that  unconscious  yet  ob- 
stinate cunning  often  observable  in  the  mentally  diseased. 

"  Not  now.  Please  do  not  ask  me  to  tell  you.  I  have 
not  yet  had  time  fully  to  consider  it,"  and  he  blushed  still 
more. 

"  And  so  you  will  not  tell  me?  "  A  muscle  twitched  in  her 
face  and  she  pushed  back  the  chair  she  was  holding.  "  Well 
then,  come !  "  She  shook  her  head  as  if  to  expel  useless 
thoughts,  and,  faster  than  usual,  went  on  in  front  of  him. 

He  fancied  that  her  mouth  was  unnaturally  compressed 
in  order  to  keep  back  the  tears.  He  was  ashamed  of  having 
hurt  her,  and  yet  he  knew  that  the  least  weakness  on  his 
part  would  mean  disaster,  i.e.,  would  bind  him  to  her.  And 
to-day  he  feared  this  more  than  anything,  and  silently 
followed  her  to  the  princess's  cabinet. 


1 04  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


MISSY  S    MOTHER. 


Princess  Sophia  Vasilievna,  Missy's  mother,  had  fin- 
ished her  very  elaborate  and  nourishing  dinner.  (She  had  it 
always  alone,  that  no  one  should  see  her  performing  this  un- 
poetical  function.)  By  her  couch  stood  a  small  table  with 
her  coffee,  and  she  was  smoking  a  pachitos.  Princess 
Sophia  Vasilievna  was  a  long,  thin  woman,  with  dark  hair, 
large  black  eyes  and  long  teeth,  and  still  pretended  to  be 
young. 

Her  intimacy  with  the  doctor  was  being  talked  about. 
Nekhludoff  had  known  that  for  some  time  ;  but  when  he  saw 
the  doctor  sitting  by  her  couch,  his  oily,  glistening  beard 
parted  in  the  middle,  he  not  only  remembered  the  rumours 
about  them,  but  felt  greatly  disgusted.  By  the  table,  on  a 
low,  soft,  easy  chair,  next  to  Sophia  Vasilievna,  sat  Kolo- 
soff,  stirring  his  coffee.  A  glass  of  liqueur  stood  on  the 
table.  Missy  came  in  with  Nekhludoff,  but  did  not  remain 
in  the  room. 

'  When  mamma  gets  tired  of  you  and  drives  you  away, 
then  come  to  me,"  she  said,  turning  to  Kolosoff  and  Nekh- 
ludoff, speaking  as  if  nothing  had  occurred ;  then  she  went 
away,  smiling  merrily  and  stepping  noiselessly  on  the  thick 
carpet. 

"  How  do  you  do,  dear  friend?  Sit  down  and  talk,"  said 
Princess  Sophia  Vasilievna,  with  her  affected  but  very 
naturally-acted  smile,  showing  her  fine,  long  teeth — a 
splendid  imitation  of  what  her  own  had  once  been.  "  I 
hear  that  you  have  come  from  the  Law  Courts  very  much 
depressed.  I  think  it  must  be  very  trying  to  a  person  with 
a  heart,"  she  added  in  French. 

"  Yes,  that  is  so,"  said  Nekhludoff.  "  One  often  feels 
one's  own  de one  feels  one  has  no  right  to  judge." 

"  Comme,  c'est  vrai,"  she  cried,  as  if  struck  bv  the  truth 


"HOW    DO    YOU    DO,    DEAR    FRIEND?       SIT    DOWN'    AND    TALK. 
Book  I.     Chapter  27. 


Resurrection  105 

of  this  remark.  She  was  in  the  habit  of  artfully  flattering 
all  those  with  whom  she  conversed.  '  Well,  and  what  of 
your  picture?  It  does  interest  me  so.  If  I  were  not  such  a 
sad  invalid  I  should  have  been  to  see  it  long  ago,"  she  said. 
'  I  have  quite  given  it  up,"  Nekhludoff  replied  drily.  The 
falseness  of  her  flattery  seemed  as  evident  to  him  to-day  as 
her  age,  which  she  was  trying  to  conceal,  and  he  could  not 
put  himself  into  the  right  state  to  behave  politely. 

"  Oh,  that  is  a  pity !  Why,  he  has  a  real  talent  for  art ;  I 
have  it  from  Repin's  own  lips,"  she  added,  turning  to  Kolo- 
soff. 

'  Why  is  it  she  is  not  ashamed  of  lying  so  ?  "  Nekhludoff 
thought,  and  frowned. 

When  she  had  convinced  herself  that  Nekhludoff  was  in 
a  bad  temper  and  that  one  could  not  get  him  into  an  agree- 
able  and  clever  conversation,  Sophia  Vasilievna  turned  to 
Kolosoff,  asking  his  opinion  of  a  new  play.  She  asked  it  in 
a  tone  as  if  Kolosoff's  opinion  would  decide  all  doubts,  and 
each  word  of  this  opinion  be  worthy  of  being  immortalised. 
Kolosoff  found  fault  both  with  the  play  and  its  author,  and 
that  led  him  to  express  his  views  on  art.  Princess  Sophia 
Vasilievna,  while  trying  at  the  same  time  to  defend  the  play, 
seemed  impressed  by  the  truth  of  his  arguments,  either 
giving  in  at  once,  or  at  least  modifying  her  opinion.  Nekh- 
ludoff looked  and  listened,  but  neither  saw  nor  heard  what 
was  going  on  before  him. 

Listening  now  to  Sophia  Vasilievna,  now  to  Kolosoff, 
Nekhludoff  noticed  that  neither  he  nor  she  cared  anything 
about  the  play  or  each  other,  and  that  if  they  talked  it  was 
only  to  gratify  the  physical  desire  to  move  the  muscles  of 
the  throat  and  tongue  after  having  eaten  ;  and  that  Kolosoff, 
having  drunk  vodka,  wine  and  liqueur,  was  a  little  tipsy. 
Not  tipsy  like  the  peasants  who  drink  seldom,  but  like  peo- 
ple to  whom  drinking  wine  has  become  a  habit.  He  did 
not  reel  about  or  talk  nonsense,  but  he  was  in  a  state  that 
was  not  normal ;  excited  and  self-satisfied.  Nekhludoff  also 
noticed  that  during  the  conversation  Princess  Sophia 
Vasilievna  kept  glancing  uneasily  at  the  window,  through 
which  a  slanting  ray  of  sunshine,  which  might  vividly  light 
up  her  aged  face,  was  beginning  to  creep  up. 

"  How  true,"  she  said  in  reference  to  some  remark  of 
Kolosoff's,  touching  the  button  of  an  electric  bell  by  the 
side  of  her  couch.    The  doctor  rose,  and,  like  one  who  is  at 


1 06  Resurrection 

home,  left  the  room  without  saying  anything.  Sophia 
Vasilievna  followed  him  with  her  eyes  and  continued  the 
conversation. 

"  Please,  Philip,  draw  these  curtains,"  she  said,  pointing 
to  the  window,  when  the  handsome  footman  came  in  answer 
to  the  bell.  "  No ;  whatever  you  may  say,  there  is  some 
mysticism  in  him ;  without  mysticism  there  can  be  no 
poetry,"  she  said,  with  one  of  her  black  eyes  angrily  follow- 
ing the  footman's  movements  as  he  was  drawing  the  cur- 
tains. '  Without  poetry,  mysticism  is  superstition ;  with- 
out mysticism,  poetry  is — prose,"  she  continued,  with  a 
sorrowful  smile,  still  not  losing  sight  of  the  footman  and 
the  curtains.  "  Philip,  not  that  curtain ;  the  one  on  the  large 
window,"  she  exclaimed,  in  a  suffering  tone.  Sophia 
Vasilievna  was  evidently  pitying  herself  for  having  to  make 
the  effort  of  saying  these  words ;  and,  to  soothe  her  feel- 
ings, she  raised  to  her  lips  a  scented,  smoking  cigarette  with 
her  jewel-bedecked  fingers. 

The  broad-chested,  muscular,  handsome  Philip  bowed 
slightly,  as  if  begging  pardon  ;  and  stepping  lightly  across 
the  carpet  with  his  broad-calved,  strong  legs,  obediently 
and  silently  went  to  the  other  window,  and,  looking  at  the 
princess,  carefully  began  to  arrange  the  curtain  so  that  not 
a  single  ray  dared  fall  on  her.  But  again  he  did  not  satisfy 
her,  and  again  she  had  to  interrupt  the  conversation  about 
mysticism,  and  correct  in  a  martyred  tone  the  unintelligent 
Philip,  who  was  tormenting  her  so  pitilessly.  For  a  mo- 
ment a  light  flashed  in  Philip's  eyes. 

'  The  devil  take  you !  What  do  you  want  ? '  was  probably 
what  he  said  to  himself,"  thought  Nekhludoff,  who  had  been 
observing  all  this  scene.  But  the  strong,  handsome  Philip 
at  once  managed  to  conceal  the  signs  of  his  impatience,  and 
went  on  quietly  carrying  out  the  orders  of  the  worn,  weak, 
false  Sophia  Vasilievna. 

"  Of  course,  there  is  a  good  deal  of  truth  in  Lombroso's 
teaching,"  said  Kolosoff,  lolling  back  in  the  low  chair  and 
looking  at  Sophia  Vasilievna  with  sleepy  eyes  ;  "  but  he  over- 
stepped the  mark.    Oh,  yes." 

'And  you?  Do  you  believe  in  heredity?"  asked  Sophia 
Vasilievna,  turning  to  Nekhludoff,  whose  silence  annoyed 
her. 

"  In  heredity?  "  he  asked.  "  No,  I  don't."  At  this  mo- 
ment his  whole  mind  was  taken  up  by  strange  images  that  in 


Resurrection  1 07 

some  unaccountable  way  rose  up  in  his  imagination.  By  the 
side  of  this  strong  and  handsome  Philip  he  seemed  at  this 
minute  to  see  the  nude  figure  of  Kolosoff  as  an  artist's 
model ;  with  his  stomach  like  a  melon,  his  bald  head,  and  his 
arms  without  muscle,  like  pestles.  In  the  same  dim  way  the 
limbs  of  Sophia  Vasilievna,  now  covered  with  silks  and  vel- 
vets, rose  up  in  his  mind  as  they  must  be  in  reality ;  but  this 
mental  picture  was  too  horrid  and  he  tried  to  drive  it  away. 

"  Well,  you  know  Missy  is  waiting  for  you,"  she  said. 
"  Go  and  find  her.  She  wants  to  play  a  new  piece  by  Grieg 
to  you ;  it  is  most  interesting." 

"  She  did  not  mean  to  play  anything ;  the  woman  is  simply 
lying,  for  some  reason  or  other,"  thought  Nekhludoff,  rising 
and  pressing  Sophia  Vasilievna's  transparent  and  bony, 
ringed  hand. 

Katerina  Alexeevna  met  him  in  the  drawing-room,  and  at 
once  began,  in  French,  as  usual : 

"  I  see  the  duties  of  a  juryman  act  depressinglv  upon 
you." 

"  Yes ;  pardon  me,  I  am  in  low  spirits  to-day,  and  have  no 
right  to  weary  others  by  my  presence,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

"  Why  are  you  in  low  spirits?  " 

"  Allow  me  not  to  speak  about  that,"  he  said,  looking 
round  for  his  hat. 

"  Don't  you  remember  how  you  used  to  say  that  we  must 
always  tell  the  truth  ?  And  what  cruel  truths  you  used  to  tell 
us  all !  Why  do  you  not  wish  to  speak  out  now?  Don't  you 
remember,  Missy?"  she  said,  turning  to  Missy,  who  had 
just  come  in. 

"  We  were  playing  a  game  then,"  said  Nekhludoff,  seri- 
ously ;  "  one  may  tell  the  truth  in  a  game,  but  in  reality  we 
are  so  bad — I  mean  I  am  so  bad — that  I,  at  least,  cannot 
tell  the  truth." 

"  Oh,  do  not  correct  yourself,  but  rather  tell  us  why  we  are 
so  bad,"  said  Katerina  Alexeevna,  playing  with  her  words 
and  pretending  not  to  notice  how  serious  Nekhludoff  was. 

"  Nothing  is  worse  than  to  confess  to  being  in  low  spirits," 
said  Missy.  "  I  never  do  it,  and  therefore  am  always  in 
good  spirits." 

Nekhludoff  felt  as  a  horse  must  feel  when  it  is  being 
caressed  to  make  it  submit  to  having  the  bit  put  in  its  mouth 
and  be  harnessed,  and  to-day  he  felt  less  than  ever  inclined 
to  draw. 


108  Resurrection 

"  Well,  are  you  coming  into  my  room  ?  We  will  try  to 
cheer  you  up." 

He  excused  himself,  saying  he  had  to  be  at  home,  and 
began  taking  leave.    Missy  kept  his  hand  longer  than  usual. 

"  Remember  that  what  is  important  to  you  is  important 
to  your  friends,"  she  said.     "  Are  you  coming  to-morrow?  " 

"  I  hardly  expect  to,"  said  Nekhludoff ;  and  feeling 
ashamed,  without  knowing  whether  for  her  or  for  himself, 
he  blushed  and  went  away. 

"What  is  it?  Comme  cela  m' intrigue,"  said  Katerina 
Alexeevna.  "  I  must  find  it  out.  I  suppose  it  is  some  affaire 
d' amour  propre ;  il  est  tres  susceptible,  notre  cher  Mitia." 

"  Plutot  une  affaire  d' amour  sale,"  Missy  was  going  to  say, 
but  stopped  and  looked  down  with  a  face  from  which  all  the 
light  had  gone — a  very  different  face  from  the  one  with 
which  she  had  looked  at  him.  She  would  not  mention  to 
Katerina  Alexeevna  even,  so  vulgar  a  pun,  but  only  said, 
"  We  all  have  our  good  and  our  bad  days." 

"  Is  it  possible  that  he,  too,  will  deceive?"  she  thought; 
"  after  all  that  has  happened  it  would  be  very  bad  of  him." 

If  Missy  had  had  to  explain  what  she  meant  by  "  after  all 
that  has  happened,"  she  could  have  said  nothing  definite,  and 
yet  she  knew  that  he  had  not  only  excited  her  hopes  but  had 
almost  given  her  a  promise.  No  definite  words  had  passed 
between  them — only  looks  and  smiles  and  hints ;  and  yet  she 
considered  him  as  her  own,  and  to  lose  him  would  be  very 
hard. 


Resurrection  109 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE  AWAKENING. 

"  Shameful  and  stupid,  horrid  and  shameful !  "  Nekhlu- 
doff  kept  saying  to  himself,  as  he  walked  home  along  the 
familiar  streets.  The  depression  he  had  felt  whilst  speaking 
to  Missy  would  not  leave  him.  He  felt  that,  looking  at  it 
externally,  as  it  were,  he  was  in  the  right,  for  he  had  never 
said  anything  to  her  that  could  be  considered  binding,  never 
made  her  an  offer ;  but  he  knew  that  in  reality  he  had  bound 
himself  to  her,  had  promised  to  be  hers.  And  yet  to-day  he 
felt,  with  his  whole  being  that  he  could  not  marry  her. 

"  Shameful  and  horrid,  horrid  and  shameful ! "  he  re- 
peated to  himself,  with  reference  not  only  to  his  relations 
with  Missy  but  also  to  the  rest.  "  Everything  is  horrid  and 
shameful,"  he  muttered,  as  he  stepped  into  the  porch  of  his 
house.  "  I  am  not  going  to  have  any  supper,"  he  said  to  his 
manservant  Corney,  who  followed  him  into  the  dining-room, 
where  the  cloth  was  laid  for  supper  and  tea.     '  You  may  go." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Corney,  yet  he  did  not  go,  but  began 
clearing  the  supper  off  the  table.  Nekhludoff  looked  at  Cor- 
ney with  a  feeling  of  ill-will.  He  wished  to  be  left  alone, 
and  it  seemed  to  him  that  everybody  was  bothering  him  in 
order  to  spite  him.  When  Corney  had  gone  away  with  the 
supper  things,  Nekhludoff  moved  to  the  tea  urn  and  was 
about  to  make  himself  some  tea,  but  hearing  Agraphena 
Petrovna's  footsteps,  he  went  hurriedly  into  the  drawing- 
room,  to  avoid  being  seen  by  her,  and  shut  the  door  after  him. 
In  this  drawing-room  his  mother  had  died  three  months  be- 
fore. On  entering  the  room,  in  which  two  lamps  with  reflect- 
ors were  burning,  one  lighting  up  his  father's  and  the  other 
his  mother's  portrait,  he  remembered  what  his  last  relations 
with  his  mother  had  been.  And  they  also  seemed  shameful 
and  horrid.  He  remembered  how,  during  the  latter  period 
of  her  illness,  he  had  simply  wished  her  to  die.  He  had  said 
to  himself  that  he  wished  it  for  her  sake,  that  she  might  be 


1 1  o  Resurrection 

released  from  her  suffering,  but  in  reality  he  wished  to  be 
released  from  the  sight  of  her  sufferings  for  his  own  sake. 

Trying  to  recall  a  pleasant  image  of  her,  he  went  up  to 
look  at  her  portrait,  painted  by  a  celebrated  artist  for  800 
roubles.  She  was  depicted  in  a  very  low-necked  black  vel- 
vet dress.  There  was  something  very  revolting  and  blas- 
phemous in  this  representation  of  his  mother  as  a  half-nude 
beauty.  It  was  all  the  more  disgusting  because  three  months 
ago,  in  this  very  room,  lay  this  same  woman,  dried  up  to  a 
mummy.  And  he  remembered  how  a  few  days  before  her 
death  she  clasped  his  hand  with  her  bony,  discoloured  fingers, 
looked  into  his  eyes,  and  said :  "  Do  not  judge  me,  Mitia,  if  I 
have  not  done  what  I  should,"  and  how  the  tears  came  into 
her  eyes,  grown  pale  with  suffering. 

"  Ah,  how  horrid !  "  he  said  to  himself,  looking  up  once 
more  at  the  half-naked  woman,  with  the  splendid  marble 
shoulders  and  arms,  and  the  triumphant  smile  on  her  lips. 
"  Oh,  how  horrid  !  "  The  bared  shoulders  of  the  portrait  re- 
minded him  of  another,  a  young  woman,  whom  he  had  seen 
exposed  in  the  same  way  a  few  days  before.  It  was  Missy, 
who  had  devised  an  excuse  for  calling  him  into  her  room  just 
as  she  was  ready  to  go  to  a  ball,  so  that  he  should  see  her  in 
her  ball  dress.  It  was  with  disgust  that  he  remembered  her 
fine  shoulders  and  arms.  "  And  that  father  of  hers,  with  his 
doubtful  past  and  his  cruelties,  and  the  bcl-csprit  her  mother, 
with  her  doubtful  reputation."  All  this  disgusted  him,  and 
also  made  him  feel  ashamed.  "  Shameful  and  horrid ;  hor- 
rid and  shameful !  " 

'  No,  no,"  he  thought ;  "  freedom  from  all  these  false  re- 
lations with  the  Korchagins  and  Mary  Vasilievna  and  the  in- 
heritance and  from  all  the  rest  must  be  got.  Oh,  to  breathe 
freely,  to  go  abroad,  to  Rome  and  work  at  my  picture !  He 
remembered  the  doubts  he  had  about  his  talent  for  art. 
"  Well,  never  mind ;  only  just  to  breathe  freely.  First  Con- 
stantinople, then  Rome.  Only  just  to  get  through  with  this 
jury  business,  and  arrange  with  the  advocate  first." 

Then  suddenly  there  arose  in  his  mind  an  extremely  vivid 
picture  of  a  prisoner  with  black,  slightly-squinting  eyes,  and 
how  she  began  to  cry  when  the  last  words  of  the  prisoners 
had  been  heard ;  and  he  hurriedly  put  out  his  cigarette, 
pressing  it  into  the  ash-pan,  lit  another,  and  began  pacing  up 
and  down  the  room.  One  after  another  the  scenes  he  had 
lived  through  with  her  rose  in.  his  mind.    He  recalled  that 


Resurrection  1 1  i 

last  interview  with  her.  He  remembered  the  white  dress 
and  blue  sash,  the  early  mass.  '  Why,  I  loved  her,  really 
loved  her  with  a  good,  pure  love,  that  night ;  I  loved  her  even 
before :  yes,  I  loved  her  when  I  lived  with  my  aunts  the  first 
time  and  was  writing  my  composition."  And  he  remem- 
bered himself  as  he  had  been  then.  A  breath  of  that  fresh- 
ness, youth  and  fulness  of  life  seemed  to  touch  him,  and  he 
grew  painfully  sad.  The  difference  between  what  he  had  been 
then  and  what  he  was  now,  was  enormous — just  as  great,  if 
notgreaterthan thedifference between Katusha  in  church  that 
night,  and  the  prostitute  who  had  been  carousing  with  the 
merchant  and  whom  they  judged  this  morning.  Then  he  was 
free  and  fearless,  and  innumerable  possibilities  lay  ready  to 
open  before  him  ;  now  he  felt  himself  caught  in  the  meshes  of 
a  stupid,  empty,  valueless,  frivolous  life,  out  of  which  he  saw 
no  means  of  extricating  himself  even  if  he  wished  to,  which 
he  hardly  did.  He  remembered  how  proud  he  was  at  one 
time  of  his  straightforwardness,  how  he  had  made  a  rule  of 
always  speaking  the  truth,  and  really  had  been  truthful ; 
and  how  he  was  now  sunk  deep  in  lies: :  in  the  most  dreadful 
of  lies — lies  considered  as  the  truth  by  all  who  surrounded 
him.  And,  as  far  as  he  could  see,  there  was  no  way  out  of 
these  lies.  He  had  sunk  in  the  mire,  got  used  to  it,  in- 
dulged himself  in  it. 

How  was  he  to  break  off  his  relations  with  Mary  Vasi- 
lievna  and  her  husband  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  able  to  look 
him  and  his  children  in  the  eyes?  How  disentangle  himself 
from  Missy?  How  choose  between  the  two  opposites — the 
recognition  that  holding  land  was  unjust  and  the  heritage 
from  his  mother?  How  atone  for  his  sin  against  Katusha? 
This  last,  at  any  rate,  could  not  be  left  as  it  was.  He  could 
not  abandon  a  woman  he  had  loved,  and  satisfy  himself  by 
paying  money  to  an  advocate  to  save  her  from  hard  labour 
in  Siberia.  She  had  not  even  deserved  hard  labour.  Atone 
for  a  fault  by  paying  money?  Had  he  not  then,  when  he 
gave  her  the  money,  thought  he  was  atoning  for  his  fault? 

And  he  clearly  recalled  to  mind  that  moment  when,  having 
caught  her  up  in  the  passage,  he  thrust  the  money  into  her 
bib  and  ran  away.  "  Oh,  that  money!  "  he  thought  with  the 
same  horror  and  disgust  he  had  then  felt.  "  Oh,  dear!  oh, 
dear!  how  disgusting,"  he  cried  aloud  as  he  had  done  then. 
"  Only  a  scoundrel,  a  knave,  could  do  such  a  thing.  And  I — 
I  am  that  knave,  that  scoundrel !  "     He  went    on    aloud : 


112  Resurrection 

'  But  is  it  possible?  " — he  stopped  and  stood  still — "  is  it  pos- 
sible that  I  am  really  a  scoundrel  ?  "  .  .  .  "  Well,  who  but 
I  ? "  he  answered  himself.  "  And  then,  is  this  the  only 
thing?  "  he  went  on,  convicting  himself.  "  Was  not  my  con- 
duct towards  Mary  Vasilievna  and  her  husband  base  and  dis- 
gusting? And  my  position  with  regard  to  money?  To  use 
riches  considered  by  me  unlawful  on  the  plea  that  they  are 
inherited  from  my  mother?  And  the  whole  of  my  idle,  de- 
testable life?  And  my  conduct  towards  Katusha  to  crown 
all  ?  Knave  and  scoundrel !  Let  men  judge  me  as  they  like, 
I  can  deceive  them  ;  but  myself  I  cannot  deceive." 

And,  suddenly,  he  understood  .that  the  aversion  he  had 
lately,  and  particularly  to-day,  felt  for  everybody — the 
Prince  and  Sophia  Vasilievna  and  Corney  and  Missy — was 
an  aversion  for  himself.  And,  strange  to  say,  in  this  ac- 
knowledgment of  his  baseness  there  was  something  painful 
yet  joyful  and  quieting. 

More  than  once  in  NekhludofFs  life  there  had  been  what  he 
called  a  "  cleansing  of  the  soul."  By  "  cleansing  of  the  soul  " 
he  meant  a  state  of  mind  in  which,  after  a  long  period  of  slug- 
gish inner  life,  a  total  cessation  of  its  activity,  he  began  to 
clear  out  all  the  rubbish  that  had  accumulated  in  his  soul, 
and  was  the  cause  of  the  cessation  of  the  true  life.  His  soul 
needed  cleansing  as  a  watch  does.  After  such  an  awakening 
Nekhludoff  always  made  some  rules  for  himself  which  he 
meant  to  follow  forever  after,  wrote  his  diary,  and  began 
afresh  a  life  which  he  hoped  never  to  change  again.  "  Turn- 
ing over  a  new  leaf,"  he  called  it  to  himself  in  English.  But 
each  time  the  temptations  of  the  world  entrapped  him,  and 
without  noticing  it  he  fell  again,  often  lower  than  before. 

Thus  he  had  several  times  in  his  life  raised  and  cleansed 
himself.  The  first  time  this  happened  was  during  the  sum- 
mer he  spent  with  his  aunts ;  that  was  his  most  vital  and  rap- 
turous awakening,  and  its  effects  had  lasted  some  time. 
Another  awakening  was  when  he  gave  up  civil  service  and 
joined  the  army  at  war  time,  ready  to  sacrifice  his  life.  But 
here  the  choking-up  process  was  soon  accomplished.  Then 
an  awakening  came  when  he  left  the  army  and  went  abroad, 
devoting  himself  to  art. 

From  that  time  until  this  day  a  long  period  had  elapsed 
without  any  cleansing,  and  therefore  the  discord  between  the 
demands  of  his  conscience  and  the  life  he  was  leading  was 
greater  than  it  had  ever  been  before.    He  was  horror-struck 


Resurrection  I  i  3 

when  he  saw  how  great  the  divergence  was.  It  was  so  great 
and  the  defilement  so  complete  that  he  despaired  of  the  possi- 
bility of  getting  cleansed.  "  Have  you  not  tried  before  to  per- 
fect yourself  and  become  better,  and  nothing  has  come  of  it?" 
whispered  the  voice  of  the  tempter  within.  "  What  is  the  use 
oftryinganymore?  Areyoutheonly  one? — All  are  alike,  such 
is  life,"  whispered  the  voice.  But  the  free  spiritual  being, 
which  alone  is  true,  alone  powerful,  alone  eternal,  had  al- 
ready awakened  in  Nekhludoff,  and  he  could  not  but  believe 
it.  Enormous  though  the  distance  was  between  what  he 
wished  to  be  and  what  he  was,  nothing  appeared  insur- 
mountable to  the  newly-awakened  spiritual  being. 

"  At  any  cost  I  will  break  this  lie  which  binds  me  and 
confess  everything,  and  will  tell  everybody  the  truth,  and  act 
the  truth,  "  he  said  resolutely,  aloud.  "  I  shall  tell  Missy 
the  truth,  tell  her  I  am  a  profligate  and  cannot  marry  her, 
and  have  only  uselessly  upset  her.  I  shall  tell  Mary  Vasi- 
lievna.  .  .  .  Oh,  there  is  nothing  to  tell  her.  I  shall  tell  her 
husband  that  I,  scoundrel  that  I  am,  have  been  deceiving 
him.  I  shall  dispose  of  the  inheritance  in  such  a  way  as  to 
acknowledge  the  truth.  I  shall  tell  her,  Katusha,  that  I  am  a 
scoundrel  and  have  sinned  towards  her,  and  will  do  all  I 
can  to  ease  her  lot.  Yes,  I  will  see  her,  and  will  ask  her  to 
forgive  me. 

"  Yes,  I  will  beg  her  pardon,  as  children  do."  .  .  .  He 
stopped — "  will  marry  her  if  necessary."  He  stopped  again, 
folded  his  hands  in  front  of  his  breast  as  he  used  to  do  when 
a  little  child,  lifted  his  eyes,  and  said,  addressing  some  one : 
"  Lord,  help  me,  teach  me,  come  enter  within  me  and  purify 
me  of  all  this  abomination." 

He  prayed,  asking  God  to  help  him,  to  enter  into  him  and 
cleanse  him  ;  and  what  he  was  praying  for  had  happened  al- 
ready :  the  God  within  him  had  awakened  his  consciousness. 
He  felt  himself  one  with  Him,  and  therefore  felt  not  only 
the  freedom,  fulness  and  joy  of  life,  but  all  the  power  of 
righteousness.  All,  all  the  best  that  a  man  could  do  he  felt 
capable  of  doing. 

His  eyes  filled  with  tears  as  he  was  saying  all  this  to  him- 
self, good  and  bad  tears :  good  because  they  were  tears  of 
joy  at  the  awakening  of  the  spiritual  being  within  him,  the 
being  which  had  been  asleep  all  these  years ;  and  bad  tears 
because  they  were  tears  of  tenderness  to  himself  at  his  own 
goodness. 


I  14  Resurrection 

He  felt  hot,  and  went  to  the  window  and  opened  it.  The 
window  opened  into  a  garden.  It  was  a  moonlit,  quiet, 
fresh  night ;  a  vehicle  rattled  past,  and  then  all  was  still. 
The  shadow  of  a  tall  poplar  fell  on  the  ground  just  opposite 
the  window,  and  all  the  intricate  pattern  of  its  bare  branches 
was  clearly  defined  on  the  clean  swept  gravel.  To  the  left 
the  roof  of  a  coach-house  shone  white  in  the  moonlight,  in 
front  the  black  shadow  of  the  garden  wall  was  visible 
through  the  tangled  branches  of  the  trees. 

Nekhludoff  gazed  at  the  roof,  the  moonlit  garden,  and 
the  shadows  of  the  poplar,  and  drank  in  the  fresh,  invig- 
orating air. 

"  How  delightful,  how  delightful ;  oh,  God,  how  delight- 
ful !  "  he  said,  meaning  that  which  was  going  on  in  his  soul. 


Resurrection  115 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

MASLOVA  IN   PRISON. 

Maslova  reached  her  cell  only  at  six  in  the  evening,  tired 
and  footsore,  having,  unaccustomed  as  she  was  to  walking, 
gone  10  miles  on  the  stony  road  that  day.  She  was  crushed 
by  the  unexpectedly  severe  sentence  and  tormented  by 
hunger.  During  the  first  interval  of  her  trial,  when  the 
soldiers  were  eating  bread  and  hard-boiled  eggs  in  her 
presence,  her  mouth  watered  and  she  realised  she  was 
hungry,  but  considered  it  beneath  her  dignity  to  beg  of 
them.  Three  hours  later  the  desire  to  eat  had  passed,  and 
she  felt  only  weak.  It  was  then  she  received  the  unexpected 
sentence.  At  first  she  thought  she  had  made  a  mistake ; 
she  could  not  imagine  herself  as  a  convict  in  Siberia,  and 
could  not  believe  what  she  heard.  But  seeing  the  quiet, 
business-like  faces  of  judges  and  jury,  who  heard  this  news 
as  if  it  were  perfectly  natural  and  expected,  she  grew  in- 
dignant, and  proclaimed  loudly  to  the  whole  Court  that  she 
was  not  guilty.  Finding  that  her  cry  was  also  taken  as 
something  natural  and  expected,  and  feeling  incapable  of 
altering  matters,  she  was  horror-struck  and  began  to  weep 
in  despair,  knowing  that  she  must  submit  to  the  cruel  and 
surprising  injustice  that  had  been  done  her.  What 
astonished  her  most  was  that  young  men — or,  at  any  rate, 
not  old  men — the  same  men  who  always  looked  so  approv- 
ingly at  her  (one  of  them,  the  public  prosecutor,  she  had 
seen  in  quite  a  different  humour)  had  condemned  her. 
While  she  was  sitting  in  the  prisoners'  room  before  the  trial 
and  during  the  intervals,  she  saw  these  men  looking  in  at 
the  open  door  pretending  they  had  to  pass  there  on  some 
business,  or  enter  the  room  and  gaze  on  her  with  approval. 
And  then,  for  some  unknown  reason,  these  same  men  had 
condemned  her  to  hard  labour,  though  she  was  innocent 
of  the  charge  laid  against  her.  At  first  she  cried,  but  then 
quieted  down  and  sat  perfectly  stunned  in  the  prisoners' 
room,  waiting  to  be  led  back.  She  wanted  only  two  things 
now — tobacco  and  strong  drink.     In  this  state  Botchkova 


1 1 6  Resurrection 

and  Kartinkin  found  her  when  they  were  led  into  the  same 
room  after  being  sentenced.  Botchkova  began  at  once  to 
scold  her,  and  call  her  a  "  convict." 

'  Well !  What  have  you  gained  ?  Justified  yourself,  have 
you?  What  you  have  deserved,  that  you've  got.  Out  in 
Siberia  you'll  give  up  your  finery,  no  fear !  " 

Maslova  sat  with  her  hands  inside  her  sleeves,  hanging 
her  head  and  looking  in  front  of  her  at  the  dirty  floor  with- 
out moving,  only  saying :  "  I  don't  bother  you,  so  don't 
you  bother  me.  I  don't  bother  you,  do  I  ?  "  she  repeated  this 
several  times,  and  was  silent  again.  She  did  brighten  up  a 
little  when  Botchkova  and  Kartinkin  were  led  away  and  an 
attendant  brought  her  three  roubles. 

"  Are  you  Maslova?  "  he  asked.  "  Here  you  are ;  a  lady 
sent  it  you,"  he  said,  giving  her  the  money. 

"A  lady— what  lady?" 

"  You  just  take  it.    I'm  not  going  to  talk  to  you." 

This  money  was  sent  by  Kitaeva,  the  keeper  of  the  house 
in  which  she  used  to  live.  As  she  was  leaving  the  court  she 
turned  to  the  usher  with  the  question  whether  she  might 
give  Maslova  a  little  money.  The  usher  said  she  might. 
Having  got  permission,  she  removed  the  three-buttoned 
Swedish  kid  glove  from  her  plump,  white  hand,  and  from 
an  elegant  purse  brought  from  the  back  folds  of  her  silk 
skirt  took  a  pile  of  coupons,*  just  cut  ofT  from  the  interest- 
bearing  papers  which  she  had  earned  in  her  establishment, 
chose  one  worth  2  roubles  and  50  copecks,  added  two  20- 
and  one  10-copeck  coins,  and  gave  all  this  to  the  usher.  The 
usher  called  an  attendant,  and  in  his  presence  gave  the 
money. 

'  Blease  to  giff  it  accurately,"  said  Carolina  Albertovna 
Kitaeva. 

The  attendant  was  hurt  by  her  want  of  confidence,  and 
that  was  why  he  treated  Maslova  so  brusquely.  Maslova 
was  glad  of  the  money,  because  it  could  give  her  the  only 
thing  she  now  desired.  '  If  I  could  but  get  cigarettes  and 
take  a  whiff !  "  she  said  to  herself,  and  all  her  thoughts 
centred  on  the  one  desire  to  smoke  and  drink.  She  longed 
for  spirits  so  that  she  tasted  them  and  felt  the  strength  they 
would  give  her ;  and  she  greedily  breathed  in  the  air  when 
the  fumes  of  tobacco  reached  her  from  the  door  of  a  room 

*  In  Russia  coupons  cut  off  interest-bearing  papers  are  often  used 
as  money. 


Resurrection  117 

that  opened  into  the  corridor.  But  she  had  to  wait  long, 
for  the  secretary,  who  should  have  given  the  order  for  her 
to  go,  forgot  about  the  prisoners  while  talking  and  even 
disputing  with  one  of  the  advocates  about  the  article  for- 
bidden by  the  censor. 

At  last,  about  five  o'clock,  she  was  allowed  to  go,  and  was 
led  away  through  the  back  door  by  her  escort,  the  Nijni 
man  and  the  Tchoovash.  Then,  still  within  the  entrance  to 
the  Law  Courts,  she  gave  them  50  copecks,  asking  them  to 
get  her  two  rolls  and  some  cigarettes.  The  Tchoovash 
laughed,  took  the  money,  and  said,  "  All  right ;  I'll  get 
'em,"  and  really  got  her  the  rolls  and  the  cigarettes  and 
honestly  returned  the  change.  She  was  not  allowed  to 
smoke  on  the  way,  and,  with  her  craving  unsatisfied,  she 
continued  her  way  to  the  prison.  When  she  was  brought 
to  the  gate  of  the  prison,  a  hundred  convicts  who 
had  arrived  by  rail  were  being  led  in.  The  convicts, 
bearded,  clean-shaven,  old,  young,  Russians,  foreigners, 
some  with  their  heads  shaved  and  rattling  with  the  chains 
on  their  feet,  filled  the  anteroom  with  dust,  noise  and  an 
acid  smell  of  perspiration.  Passing  Maslova,  all  the  con- 
victs looked  at  her,  and  some  came  up  to  her  and  brushed 
her  as  they  passed. 

"  Ay,  here's  a  wench — a  fine  one,"  said  one. 

"  My  respects  to  you,  miss,"  said  another,  winking  at 
her.  One  dark  man  with  a  moustache,  the  rest  of  his  face 
and  the  back'  of  his  head  clean  shaved,  rattling  with  his 
chains  and  catching  her  feet  in  them,  sprang  near  and  em- 
braced her. 

"  What !  don't  you  know  your  chum  ?  Come,  come  ; 
don't  give  yourself  airs,"  showing  his  teeth  and  his  eyes 
glittering  when  she  pushed  him  away. 

'  You  rascal !  what  are  you  up  to  ?  "  shouted  the  in- 
spector's assistant,  coming  in  from  behind.  The  convict 
shrank  back  and  jumped  away.  The  assistant  assailed 
Maslova. 

"  What  are  you  here  for?  " 

Maslova  was  going  to  say  she  had  been  brought  back 
from  the  Law  Courts,  but  she  was  so  tired  that  she  did 
not  care  to  speak. 

"  She  has  returned  from  the  Law  Courts,  sir,"  said  one 
of  the  soldiers,  coming  forward  with  his  fingers  lifted  to 
his  cap. 


1 1  8  Resurrection 

'  Well,  hand  her  over  to  the  chief  warder.  I  won't  have 
this  sort  of  thing." 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Sokoloff,  take  her  in !  "  shouted  the  assistant  inspector. 

The  chief  warder  came  up,  gave  Maslova  a  slap  on  the 
shoulder,  and  making  a  sign  with  his  head  for  her  to  follow 
led  her  into  the  corridor  of  the  women's  ward.  There  she 
was  searched,  and  as  nothing  prohibited  was  found  on  her 
(she  had  hidden  her  box  of  cigarettes  inside  a  roll)  she  was 
led  to  the  cell  she  had  left  in  the  morning. 


Resurrection  1 1 9 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


THE  CELL. 


The  cell  in  which  Maslova  was  imprisoned  was  a  large 
room  21  feet  long  and  16  feet  broad;  it  had  two  windows 
and  a  large  stove.  Two-thirds  of  the  space  were  taken  up 
by  shelves  used  as  beds.  The  planks  they  were  made  of  had 
warped  and  shrunk.  Opposite  the  door  hung  a  dark-col- 
oured icon  with  a  wax  candle  sticking  to  it  and  a  bunch  of 
everlastings  hanging  down  from  it.  By  the  door  to  the 
right  there  was  a  dark  spot  on  the  floor  on  which  stood  a 
stinking  tub.  The  inspection  had  taken  place  and  the 
women  were  locked  up  for  the  night. 

The  occupants  of  this  room  were  15  persons,  including 
three  children^  It  was  still  quite  light.  Only  two  of  the 
women  were  lying  down  :  a  consumptive  woman  imprisoned 
for  theft,  and  an  idiot  who  spent  most  of  her  time  in  sleep 
and  who  was  arrested  because  she  had  no  passport.  The 
consumptive  woman  was  not  asleep,  but  lay  with  wide  open 
eyes,  her  "cloak  folded  under  her  head,  trying  to  keep  back 
the  phlegm  that  irritated  her  throat,  and  not  to  cough. 

Some  of  the  other  women,  most  of  whom  had  nothing 
on  but  coarse  brown  holland  chemises,  stood  looking  out 
of  the  window  at  the  convicts  down  in  the  vard,  and  some 
sat  sewing.  Among  the  latter  was  the  old  woman,  Kora- 
bleva,  who  had  seen  Maslova  off  in  the  morning.  She  was 
a  tall,  strong,  gloomy-looking  woman ;  her  fair  hair,  which 
had  begun  to  turn  grey  on  the  temples,  hung  down  in  a 
short  plait.  She  was  sentenced  to  hard  labour  in  Siberia 
because  she  had  killed  her  husband  with  an  axe  for  making 
up  to  their  daughter.  She  was  at  the  head  of  the  women  in 
the  cell,  and  found  means  of  carrying  on  a  trade  in  spirits 
with  them.  Beside  her  sat  another  woman  sewing  a  coarse 
canvas  sack.   This  was  the  wife  of  a  railway  watchman,*  im- 

*  There  are  small  watchmen's  cottages  at  distances  of  about  one 
mile  from  each  other  along  the  Russian  railways,  and  the  watch- 
men or  their  wives  have  to  meet  every  train. 


1 20  Resurrection 

prisoned  for  three  months  because  she  did  not  come  out 
with  the  flags  to  meet  a  train  that  was  passing,  and  an  ac- 
cident had  occurred.  She  was  a  short,  snub-nosed  woman, 
with  small,  black  eyes  ;  kind  and  talkative.  The  third  of  the 
women  who  were  sewing  was  Theodosia,  a  quiet  young 
girl,  white  and  rosy,  very  pretty,  with  bright  child's  eyes, 
and  long  fair  plaits  which  she  wore  twisted  round  her  head. 
She  was  in  prison  for  attempting  to  poison  her  husband. 
She  had  done  this  immediately  after  her  wedding  (she  had 
been  given  in  marriage  without  her  consent  at  the  age  of 
16)  because  her  husband  would  give  her  no  peace.  But  in 
the  eight  months  during  which  she  had  been  let  out  on  bail, 
she  had  not  only  made  it  up  with  her  husband,  but  come 
to  love  him,  so  that  when  her  trial  came  they  were  heart 
and  soul  to  one  another.  Although  her  husband,  her 
father-in-law,  but  especially  her  mother-in-law,  who  had 
grown  very  fond  of  her,  did  all  they  could  to  get  her  ac- 
quitted, she  was  sentenced  to  hard  labour  in  Siberia.  The 
kind,  merry,  ever-smiling  Theodosia  had  a  place  next  Mas- 
lova's  on  the  shelf  bed,  and  had  grown  so  fond  of  her  that 
she  took  it  upon  herself  as  a  duty  to  attend  and  wait  on  her. 
Two  other  women  were  sitting  without  any  work  at  the 
other  end  of  the  shelf  bedstead.  One  was  a  woman  of  about 
40,  with  a  pale,  thin  face,  who  once  probably  had  been  very 
handsome.  She  sat  with  her  baby  at  her  thin,  white  breast. 
The  crime  she  had  committed  was  that  when  a  recruit  was, 
according  to  the  peasants'  view,  unlawfully  taken  from  their 
village,  and  the  people  stopped  the  police  officer  and  took 
the  recruit  away  from  him,  she  (an  aunt  of  the  lad  unlaw- 
fully taken)  was  the  first  to  catch  hold  of  the  bridle  of  the 
horse  on  which  he  was  being  carried  off.  The  other,  who 
sat  doing  nothing,  was  a  kindly,  grey-haired  old  woman, 
hunchbacked  and  with  a  flat  bosom.  She  sat  behind  the 
stove  on  the  bedshelf,  and  pretended  to  catch  a  fat  four- 
year-old  boy,  who  ran  backwards  and  forwards  in  front  of 
her,  laughing  gaily.  This  boy  had  only  a  little  shirt  on  and 
his  hair  was  cut  short.  As  he  ran  past  the  old  woman  he 
kept  repeating,  "  There,  haven't  caught  me !  "  This  old 
woman  and  her  son  were  accused  of  incendiarism.  She 
bore  her  imprisonment  with  perfect  cheerfulness,  but  was 
concerned  about  her  son,  and  chiefly  about  her  "  old  man," 
who  she  feared  would  get  into  a  terrible  state  with  no  one 
to  wash  for  him.     Besides  these  seven  women,  there  were 


Resurrection  121 

four  standing  at  one  of  the  open  windows,  holding  on  to 
the  iron  bars.  They  were  making  signs  and  shouting  to  the 
convicts  whom  Maslova  had  met  when  returning  to  prison, 
and  who  were  now  passing  through  the  yard.  One  of  these 
women  was  big  and  heavy,  with  a  flabby  body,  red  hair,  and 
freckled  on  her  pale  yellow  face,  her  hands,  and  her  fat 
neck.  She  shouted  something  in  a  loud,  raucous  voice,  and 
laughed  hoarsely.  This  woman  was  serving  her  term  for 
theft.  Beside  her  stood  an  awkward,  dark  little  woman,  no 
bigger  than  a  child  of  ten,  with  a  long  waist  and  very  short 
legs,  a  red,  blotchy  face,  thick  lips  which  did  not  hide  her 
long  teeth,  and  eyes  too  far  apart.  She  broke  by  fits  and 
starts  into  screeching  laughter  at  what  was  going  on  in  the 
yard.  She  was  to  be  tried  for  stealing  and  incendiarism. 
They  called  her  Khoroshavka.  Behind  her,  in  a  very  dirty 
grey  chemise,  stood  a  thin,  miserable-looking  pregnant 
woman,  who  was  to  be  tried  for  concealment  of  theft.  This 
woman  stood  silent,  but  kept  smiling  with  pleasure  and  ap- 
proval at  what  was  going  on  below.  With  these  stood  a 
peasant  woman  of  medium  height,  the  mother  of  the  boy 
who  was  playing  with  the  old  woman  and  of  a  seven-year- 
old  girl.  These  were  in  prison  with  her  because  she  had  no 
one  to  leave  them  with.  She  was  serving  her  term  of  im- 
prisonment for  illicit  sale  of  spirits.  She  stood  a  little  fur- 
ther from  the  window  knitting  a  stocking,  and  though  she 
listened  to  the  other  prisoners'  words  she  shook  her  head 
disapprovingly,  frowned,  and  closed  her  eyes.  But  her 
seven-year-old  daughter  stood  in  her  little  chemise,  her 
flaxen  hair  done  up  in  a  little  pigtail,  her  blue  eyes  fixed, 
and,  holding  the  red-haired  woman  by  the  skirt,  attentively 
listened  to  the  words  of  abuse  that  the  women  and  the  con- 
victs flung  at  each  other,  and  repeated  them  solftly,  as  if 
learning  them  by  heart.  The  twelfth  prisoner,  who  paid  no 
attention  to  what  was  going  on,  was  a  very  tall,  stately  girl, 
the  daughter  of  a  deacon,  who  had  drowned  her  baby  in  a 
well.  She  went  about  with  bare  feet,  wearing  only  a  dirty 
chemise.  The  thick,  short  plait  of  her  fair  hair  had  come 
undone  and  hung  down  dishevelled,  and  she  paced  up  and 
down  the  free  space  of  the  cell,  not  looking  at  any  one,  turn- 
ing abruptly  every  time  she  came  up  to  the  wall. 


122  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


THE  PRISONERS. 


When  the  padlock  rattled  and  the  door  opened  to  let 
Maslova  into  the  cell,  all  turned  towards  her.  Even  the 
deacon's  daughter  stopped  for  a  moment  and  looked  at  her 
with  lifted  brows  before  resuming  her  steady  striding  up 
and  down. 

Korableva  stuck  her  needle  into  the  brown  sacking  and 
looked  questioningly  at  Maslova  through  her  spectacles. 
"  Eh,  eh,  deary  me,  so  you  have  come  back.  And  I  felt 
sure  they'd  acquit  you.  So  you've  got  it?"  She  took  off 
her  spectacles  and  put  her  work  down  beside  her  on  the 
shelf  bed. 

"  And  here  have  I  and  the  old  lady  been  saying,  '  Why, 
it  may  well  be  they'll  let  her  go  free  at  once.'  Why,  it  hap- 
pens, ducky,  they'll  even  give  you  a  heap  of  money  some- 
times, that's  sure,"  the  watchman's  wife  began,  in  her  sing- 
ing voice :  "  Yes,  we  were  wondering,  '  Why's  she  so 
long?'  And  now  just  see  what  it  is.  Well,  our  guessing 
was  no  use.  The  Lord  willed  otherwise,"  she  went  on  in 
musical  tones. 

"Is  it  possible?  Have  they  sentenced  you?"  asked 
Theodosia,  with  concern,  looking  at  Maslova  with  her 
bright  blue,  child-like  eyes ;  and  her  merry  young  face 
changed  as  if  she  were  going  to  cry. 

Maslova  did  not  answer,  but  went  on  to  her  place,  the 
second  from  the  end,  and  sat  down  beside  Korableva. 

'  Have  you  eaten  anything?  "  said  Theodosia,  rising  and 
coming  up  to  Maslova. 

Maslova  gave  no  reply,  but  putting  the  rolls  on  the  bed- 
stead, took  off  her  dusty  cloak,  the  kerchief  off  her  curly 
black  head,  and  began  pulling  off  her  shoes.  The  old  woman 
who  had  been  playing  with  the  boy  came  up  and  stood  in 
front  of  Maslova.  "  Tz,  tz,  tz,"  she  clicked  with  her  tongue, 
shaking  her  head  pityingly.  The  boy  also  came  up  with  her, 
and,  putting  out  his  upper  lip,  stared  with  wide  open  eyes 


Resurrection  123 

at  the  roll  Maslova  had  brought.  When  Maslova  saw  the 
sympathetic  faces  of  her  fellow-prisoners,  her  lips  trembled 
and  she  felt  inclined  to  cry,  but  she  succeeded  in  restraining 
herself  until  the  old  woman  and  the  boy  came  up.  When 
she  heard  the  kind,  pitying  clicking  of  the  old  woman's 
tongue,  and  met  the  boy's  serious  eyes  turned  from  the  roll 
to  her  face,  she  could  bear  it  no  longer;  her  face  quivered 
and  she  burst  into  sobs. 

"  Didn't  I  tell  you  to  insist  on  having  a  proper  advocate?  " 
said  Korableva.    "  Well,  what  is  it?  Exile?" 

Maslova  could  not  answer,  but  took  from  inside  the  roll 
a  box  of  cigarettes,  on  which  was  a  picture  of  a  lady  with 
hair  done  up  very  high  and  dress  cut  low  in  front,  and 
passed  the  box  to  Korableva.  Korableva  looked  at  it  and 
shook  her  head,  chiefly  because  she  did  not  approve  of 
Maslova's  putting  her  money  to  such  bad  use ;  but  still  she 
took  out  a  cigarette,  lit  it  at  the  lamp,  took  a  puff,  and  almost 
forced  it  into  Maslova's  hand.  Maslova,  still  crying,  began 
greedily  to  inhale  the  tobacco  smoke.  "  Penal  servitude," 
she  muttered,  blowing  out  the  smoke  and  sobbing. 

"  Don't  they  fear  the  Lord,  the  cursed  soul-slayers  ? " 
muttered  Korableva,  "  sentencing  the  lass  for  nothing."  At 
this  moment  the  sound  of  loud,  coarse  laughter  came  from 
the  women  who  were  still  at  the  window.  The  little  girl 
also  laughed,  and  her  childish  treble  mixed  with  the  hoarse 
and  screeching  laughter  of  the  others.  One  of  the  convicts 
outside  had  done  something  that  produced  this  effect  on  the 
onlookers. 

'  Lawks !  see  the  shaved  hound,  what  he's  doing,"  said  the 
red-haired  woman,  her  whole  fat  body  shaking  with  laugh- 
ter ;  and  leaning  against  the  grating  she  shouted  meaning- 
less obscene  words. 

'  Ugh,  the  fat  fright's  cackling,"  said  Korableva,  who 
disliked  the  red-haired  woman.  Then,  turning  to  Maslova 
again,  she  asked:  "  How  many  years?  " 

"  Four,"  said  Maslova,  and  the  tears  ran  down  her  cheeks 
in  such  profusion  that  one  fell  on  the  cigarette.  Maslova 
crumpled  it  up  angrily  and  took  another. 

Though  the  watchman's  wife  did  not  smoke  she  picked 
up  the  cigarette  Maslova  had  thrown  away  and  began 
straightening  it  out,  talking  unceasingly. 

'  There,  now,  ducky,  so  it's  true,"  she  said.  '  Truth's 
gone  to  the  dogs  and  they  do  what  they  please,  and  here  we 


1 24  Resurrection 

were  guessing  that  you'd  go  free.  Korableva  says,  '  She'll 
go  free.'  I  say,  '  No,'  say  I.  '  No,  dear,  my  heart  tells  me 
they'll  give  it  her.'  And  so  it's  turned  out,"  she  went  on, 
evidently  listening  with  pleasure  to  her  own  voice. 

The  women  who  had  been  standing  by  the  window  now  also 
came  up  to  Maslova,  the  convicts  who  had  amused  them 
having  gone  away.  The  first  to  come  up  were  the  woman 
imprisoned  for  illicit  trade  in  spirits,  and  her  little  girl. 
"  Why  such  a  hard  sentence  ?  "  asked  the  woman,  sitting 
down  by  Maslova  and  knitting  fast. 

"  Why  so  hard?  Because  there's  no  money.  That's  why! 
Had  there  been  money,  and  had  a  good  lawyer  that's  up  to 
their  tricks  been  hired,  they'd  have  acquitted  her,  no  fear," 
said  Korableva.  "  There's  what's-his-name — that  hairy  one 
with  the  long  nose.  He'd  bring  you  out  clean  from  pitch, 
mum,  he  would.    Ah,  if  we'd  only  had  him  !  " 

"  Him,  indeed,"  said  Khoroshavka.  "  Why,  he  won't  spit 
at  you  for  less  than  a  thousand  roubles." 

"  Seems  you've  been  born  under  an  unlucky  star,"  inter- 
rupted the  old  woman  who  was  imprisoned  for  incendiarism. 
"  Only  think,  to  entice  the  lad's  wife  and  lock  him  himself 

up  to  feed  vermin,  and  me,  too,  in  my  old  days "  she 

began  to  retell  her  story  for  the  hundredth  time.  "  If  it 
isn't  the  beggar's  staff  it's  the  prison.  Yes,  the  beggar's 
staff  and  the  prison  don't  wait  for  an  invitation." 

"  Ah,  it  seems  that's  the  way  with  all  of  them,"  said  the 
spirit  trader ;  and  after  looking  at  her  little  girl  she  put 
down  her  knitting,  and,  drawing  the  child  between  her 
knees,  began  to  search  her  head  with  deft  fingers.  "  Why  do 
you  sell  spirits?"  she  went  on.  '  Why?  but  what's  one  to 
feed  the  children  on  ?  " 

These  words  brought  back  to  Maslova's  mind  her  craving 
for  drink. 

"  A  little  vodka,"  she  said  to  Korableva,  wiping  the  tears 
with  her  sleeve  and  sobbing  less  frequently. 

"  All  right,  fork  out,"  said  Korableva. 


Resurrection  125 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

A    PRISON    QUARREL. 

Maslova  got  the  money,  which  she  had  also  hidden  in  a 
roll,  and  passed  the  coupon  to  Korableva.  Korableva  ac- 
cepted it,  though  she  could  not  read,  trusting  to  Khoro- 
shavka,  who  knew  everything,  and  who  said  that  the  slip  of 
paper  was  worth  2  roubles  50  copecks,  then  climbed  up  to 
the  ventilator,  where  she  had  hidden  a  small  flask  of  vodka. 
Seeing  this,  the  women  whose  places  were  further  off  went 
away.  Meanwhile  Maslova  shook  the  dust  out  of  her  cloak 
and  kerchief,  got  up  on  the  bedstead,  and  began  eating  a 
roll. 

"  I  kept  your  tea  for  you,"  said  Theodosia,  getting  down 
from  the  shelf  a  mug  and  a  tin  teapot  wrapped  in  a  rag, 
"  but  I'm  afraid  it  is  quite  cold."  The  liquid  was  quite  cold 
and  tasted  more  of  tin  than  of  tea,  yet  Maslova  filled  the  mug 
and  began  drinking  it  with  her  roll.  "  Finashka,  here  you 
are,"  she  said,  breaking  off  a  bit  of  the  roll  and  giving  it  to 
the  boy,  who  stood  looking  at  her  mouth. 

Meanwhile  Korableva  handed  the  flask  of  vodka  and  a 
mug  to  Maslova,  who  offered  some  to  her  and  to  Khoro- 
shavka.  These  prisoners  were  considered  the  aristocracy 
of  the  cell  because  they  had  some  money,  and  shared  what 
they  possessed  with  the  others. 

In  a  few  moments  Maslova  brightened  up  and  related 
merrily  what  had  happened  at  the  court,  and  what  had 
struck  her  most,  i.e.,  how  all  the  men  had  followed  her 
wherever  she  went.  In  the  court  they  all  looked  at  her,  she 
said,  and  kept  coming  into  the  prisoners'  room  while  she 
was  there. 

"  One  of  the  soldiers  even  says,  '  It's  all  to  look  at  you 
that  they  come.'  One  would  come  in,  '  Where  is  such  a 
paper?  '  or  something,  but  I  see  it  is  not  the  paper  he  wants  ; 
he  just  devours  me  with  his  eyes,"  she  said,  shaking  her 
head.    "  Regular  artists." 


1 26  Resurrection 

"  Yes,  that's  so,"  said  the  watchman's  wife,  and  ran  on  in 
her  musical  strain,  "  they're  like  flies  after  sugar."' 

"  And  here,  too,"  Maslova  interrupted  her,  "  the  same 
thing.  They  can  do  without  anything  else.  But  the  likes  of 
them  will  go  without  bread  sooner  than  miss  that !  Hardly 
had  they  brought  me  back  when  in  comes  a  gang  from  the 
railway.  They  pestered  me  so,  I  did  not  know  how  to  rid 
myself  of  them.  Thanks  to  the  assistant,  he  turned  them 
off.    One  bothered  so,  I  hardly  got  away." 

"  What's  he  like?  "  asked  Khoroshavka. 

"  Dark,  with  moustaches." 

"  It  must  be  him." 

"Him— who?" 

'  Whv,  Schegloff;  him  as  has  just  gone  by." 

"  What's  he,  this  Schegloff?  " 

'What,  she  don't  know  Schegloff?  Why,  he  ran  twice 
from  Siberia.  Now  they've  got  him,  but  he'll  run  away. 
The  warders  themselves  are  afraid  of  him,"  said  Khoro- 
shavka, who  managed  to  exchange  notes  with  the  male 
prisoners  and  knew  all  that  went  on  in  the  prison.  "  He'll 
run  away,  that's  flat." 

"  If  he  does  go  away  you  and  I'll  have  to  stay,"  said  Kor- 
ableva,  turning  to  Maslova,  "  but  you'd  better  tell  us  now 
what  the  advocate  says  about  petitioning.  Now's  the  time 
to  hand  it  in." 

Maslova  answered  that  she  knew  nothing  about  it. 

At  that  moment  the  red-haired  woman  came  up  to  the 
"  aristocracy  "  with  both  freckled  hands  in  her  thick  hair, 
scratching  her  head  with  her  nails. 

"  I'll  tell  you  all  about  it,  Katerina,"  she  began.  "  First 
and  foremost,  you'll  have  to  write  down  you're  dissatisfied 
with  the  sentence,  then  give  notice  to  the  Procureur." 

'What  do  you  want  here?"  said  Korableva  angrily; 
"  smell  the  vodka,  do  you?  Your  chatter's  not  wanted.  We 
know  what  to  do  without  your  advice." 

'  No  one's  speaking  to  you ;  what  do  you  stick  your  nose 
in  for?" 

"It's  vodka  you  want;  that's  why  you  come  wriggling 
yourself  in  here." 

'  Well,  offer  her  some,"  said  Maslova,  always  ready  to 
share  anything  she  possessed  with  anybody. 

"  I'll  offer  her  something." 

"  Come  on  then,"  said  the  red-haired    one,    advancing 


Resurrection  1 27 

towards   Korableva.    "  Ah !   think   I'm   afraid   of   such  as 
you?" 

"  Convict  fright !  " 

"  That's  her  as  says  it." 

"Slut!" 

"I?  A  slut?  Convict!  Murderess!"  screamed  the  red- 
haired  one. 

"  Go  away,  I  tell  you,"  said  Korableva  gloomily,  but  the 
red-haired  one  came  nearer  and  Korableva  struck  her  in 
the  chest.  The  red-haired  woman  seemed  only  to  have 
waited  for  this,  and  with  a  sudden  movement  caught  hold 
of  Korableva's  hair  with  one  hand  and  with  the  other 
struck  her  in  the  face.  Korableva  seized  this  hand,  and 
Maslova  and  Khoroshavka  caught  the  red-haired  woman 
by  her  arms,  trying  to  pull  her  away,  but  she  let  go  the  old 
woman's  hair  with  her  hand  only  to  twist  it  round  her  fist. 
Korableva,  with  her  head  bent  to  one  side,  was  dealing 
out  blows  with  one  arm  and  trying  to  catch  the  red-haired 
woman's  hand  with  her  teeth,  while  the  rest  of  the  women 
crowded  round,  screaming  and  trying  to  separate  the  fight- 
ers ;  even  the  consumptive  one  came  up  and  stood  coughing 
and  watching  the  fight.  The  children  cried  and  huddled 
together.  The  noise  brought  the  woman  warder  and  a 
jailer.  The  fighting  women  were  separated ;  and  Kora- 
bleva, taking  out  the  bits  of  torn  hair  from  her  head,  and 
the  red-haired  one,  holding  her  torn  chemise  together  over 
her  yellow  breast,  began  loudly  to  complain. 

'  I  know,  it's  all  the  vodka.  Wait  a  bit ;  I'll  tell  the  in- 
spector to-morrow.  He'll  give  it  you.  Can't  I  smell  it? 
Mind,  get  it  all  out  of  the  way,  or  it  will  be  the  worse  for 
you,"  said  the  warder.  "  We've  no  time  to  settle  your  dis- 
putes.    Get  to  your  places  and  be  quiet." 

But  quiet  was  not  soon  re-established.  For  a  long  time 
the  women  went  on  disputing  and  explaining  to  one  an- 
other whose  fault  it  all  was.  At  last  the  warder  and  the 
jailer  left  the  cell,  the  women  grew  quieter  and  began 
going  to  bed,  and  the  old  woman  went  to  the  icon  and  com- 
menced praying. 

'  The  two  jailbirds  have  met,"  the  red-haired  woman 
suddenly  called  out  in  a  hoarse  voice  from  the  other  end  of 
the  shelf  beds,  accompanying  every  word  with  frightfully 
vile  abuse. 


128  Resurrection 

"  Mind  you  don't  get  it  again,"  Korableva  replied,  also 
adding  words  of  abuse,  and  both  were  quiet  again. 

"  Had  I  not  been  stopped  I'd  have  pulled  your  damned 
eyes  out,"  again  began  the  red-haired  one,  and  an  answer 
of  the  same  kind  followed  from  Korableva.  Then  again  a 
short  interval  and  more  abuse.  But  the  intervals  became 
longer  and  longer,  as  when  a  thunder-cloud  is  passing,  and 
at  last  all  was  quiet. 

All  were  in  bed,  some  began  to  snore ;  and  only  the  old 
woman,  who  always  prayed  a  long  time,  went  on  bowing 
before  the  icon  and  the  deacon's  daughter,  who  had  got  up 
after  the  warder  left,  was  pacing  up  and  down  the  room 
again.  Maslova  kept  thinking  that  she  was  now  a  convict 
condemned  to  hard  labour,  and  had  twice  been  reminded 
of  this — once  by  Botchkova  and  once  by  the  red-haired 
woman — and  she  could  not  reconcile  herself  to  the  thought. 
Korableva,  who  lay  next  to  her,  turned  over  in  her  bed. 

'  There  now,"  said  Maslova  in  a  low  voice ;  "  who  would 
have  thought  it?  See  what  others  do  and  get  nothing 
for  it." 

'  Never  mind,  girl.  People  manage  to  live  in  Siberia. 
As  for  you,  you'll  not  be  lost  there  either,"  Korableva  said, 
trying  to  comfort  her. 

'  I  know  I'll  not  be  lost ;  still  it  is  hard.  It's  not  such  a 
fate  I  want — I,  who  am  used  to  a  comfortable  life." 

"  Ah,  one  can't  go  against  God,"  said  Korableva,  with  a 
sigh.    "  One  can't,  my  dear." 

''  I  know,  granny.    Still,  it's  hard." 

They  were  silent  for  a  while. 

'Do  you  hear  that  baggage?"  whispered  Korableva, 
drawing  Maslova's  attention  to  a  strange  sound  proceeding 
from  the  other  end  of  the  room. 

This  sound  was  the  smothered  sobbing  of  the  red-haired 
woman.  The  red-haired  woman  was  crying  because  she 
had  been  abused  and  had  not  got  any  of  the  vodka  she 
wanted  so  badly ;  also  because  she  remembered  how  all  her 
life  she  had  been  abused,  mocked  at,  offended,  beaten.  Re- 
membering this,  she  pitied  herself,  and,  thinking  no  one 
heard  her,  began  crying  as  children  cry,  sniffing  .with  her 
nose  and  swallowing  the  salt  tears. 

"  I'm  sorry  for  her,"  said  Maslova. 

"  Of  course  one  is  sorry,"  said  Korableva,  "  but  she 
shouldn't  come  bothering." 


Resurrection  1 29 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

THE  LEAVEN   AT   WORK — NEKHLUDOFF's  DOMESTIC   CHANGES. 

The  next  morning  Nekhludoff  awoke,  conscious  that 
something  had  happened  to  him,  and  even  before  he  had 
remembered  what  it  was  he  knew  it  to  be  something  impor- 
tant and  good. 

"  Katusha — the  trial ! ':  Yes,  he  must  stop  lying  and  tell 
the  whole  truth. 

By  a  strange  coincidence  on  that  very  morning  he  received 
the  long-expected  letter  from  Mary  Vasilievna,  the  wife  of 
the  Marechal  de  Noblesse,  the  very  letter  he  particularly 
needed.  She  gave  him  full  freedom,  and  wished  him  happi- 
ness in  his  intended  marriage. 

"  Marriage !  "  he  repeated  with  irony.  "  How  far  I  am 
from  all  that  at  present." 

And  he  remembered  the  plans  he  had  formed  the  day  be- 
fore, to  tell  the  husband  everything,  to  make  a  clean  breast  of 
it,  and  express  his  readiness  to  give  him  any  kind  of  satisfac- 
tion. But  this  morning  this  did  not  seem  so  easy  as  the  day 
before.  And,  then,  also,  why  make  a  man  unhappy  by  telling 
him  what  he  does  not  know  ?  Yes,  if  he  came  and  asked,  he 
would  tell  him  all,  but  to  go  purposely  and  tell — no !  that  was 
unnecessary. 

And  telling  the  whole  truth  to  Missy  seemed  just  as  diffi- 
cult this  morning.  Again,  he  could  not  begin  to  speak  with- 
out offence.  As  in  many  worldly  affairs,  something  had  to 
remain  unexpressed.  Only  one  thing  he  decided  on,  i.e.,  not 
to  visit  there,  and  to  tell  the  truth  if  asked. 

But  in  connection  with  Katusha,  nothing  was  to  remain 
unspoken.  '  I  shall  go  to  the  prison  and  shall  tell  her  every- 
thing, and  ask  her  to  forgive  me.  And  if  need  be — yes,  if 
need  be,  I  shall  marry  her,"  he  thought. 

This  idea,  that  he  was  ready  to  sacrifice  all  on  moral 
grounds,  and  marry  her,  again  made  him  feel  very  tender 
towards  himself.  Concerning  money  matters  he  resolved  this 
morning  to  arrange  them  in  accord  with  his  conviction,  that 


130  Resurrection 

the  holding  of  landed  property  was  unlawful.  Even  if  he 
should  not  be  strong  enough  to  give  up  everything,  he  would 
still  do  what  he  could,  not  deceiving  himself  or  others. 

It  was  long  since  he  had  met  the  coming  day  with  so  much 
energy.  When  Agraphena  Petrovna  came  in,  he  told  her, 
with  more  firmness  than  he  thought  himself  capable  of,  that 
he  no  longer  needed  this  lodging  nor  her  services.  There 
had  been  a  tacit  understanding  that  he  was  keeping  up  so 
large  and  expensive  an  establishment  because  he  was  think- 
ing of  getting  married.  The  giving  up  of  the  house  had, 
therefore,  a  special  meaning.  Agraphena  Petrovna  looked 
at  him  in  surprise. 

"  I  thank  you  very  much,  Agraphena  Petrovna,  for  all 
your  care  for  me,  but  I  no  longer  require  so  large  a  house 
nor  so  many  servants.  If  you  wish  to  help  me,  be  so  good  as 
to  settle  about  the  things,  put  them  away  as  it  used  to  be 
done  during  mamma's  life,  and  when  Natasha  comes  she 
will  see  to  everything."    Natasha  was  Nekhludoff's  sister. 

Agraphena  Petrovna  shook  her  head.  "  See  about  the 
things?    Why,  they'll  be  required  again,"  she  said. 

"  No,  they  won't,  Agraphena  Petrovna ;  I  assure  you  they 
won't  be  required,"  said  Nekhludoff,  in  answer  to  what  the 
shaking  of  her  head  had  expressed.  "  Please  tell  Corney 
also  that  I  shall  pay  him  two  months'  wages,  but  shall  have 
no  further  need  of  him." 

"  It  is  a  pity,  Dmitri  Ivanovitch,  that  you  should  think  of 
doing  this,"  she  said.  "  Well,  supposing  you  go  abroad,  still 
you'll  require  a  place  of  residence  again." 

"  You  are  mistaken  in  your  thoughts,  Agraphena  Pe- 
trovna ;  I  am  not  going  abroad.  If  I  go  on  a  journey,  it  will 
be  to  quite  a  different  place."  He  suddenly  blushed  very  red. 
"  Yes,  I  must  tell  her,"  he  thought;  "  no  hiding;  everybody 
must  be  told." 

"  A  very  strange  and  important  thing  happened  to  me  yes- 
terday. Do  you  remember  mv  Aunt  Mary  Ivanovna's  Ka- 
tusha?" 

"  Oh,  yes.    Why,  I  taught  her  how  to  sew." 

"  Well,  this  Katusha  was  tried  in  the  Court  and  I  was  on 
the  jury." 

"  Oh,  Lord  !  What  a  pity  !  "  cried  Agraphena  Petrovna. 
"  What  was  she  being  tried  for?  " 

"  Murder;  and  it  is  I  have  done  it  all." 

"  Well,  now  this  is  very  strange  ;  how  could  you  do  it  all  ?" 


Resurrection  131 

"  Yes,  I  am  the  cause  of  it  all ;  and  it  is  this  that  has  altered 
all  my  plans." 

"  What  difference  can  it  make  to  you  ?  " 

"  This  difference :  that  I,  being  the  cause  of  her  getting 
on  to  that  path,  must  do  all  I  can  to  help  her." 

"  That  is  just  according  to  your  own  good  pleasure ;  you 
are  not  particularly  in  fault  there.  It  happens  to  every  one, 
and  if  one's  reasonable,  it  all  gets  smoothed  over  and  forgot- 
ten," she  said,  seriously  and  severely.  "  Why  should  you 
place  it  to  your  account?  There's  no  need.  I  had  already 
heard  before  that  she  had  strayed  from  the  right  path.  Well, 
whose  fault  is  it  ?  " 

"  Mine !  that's  why  I  want  to  put  it  right." 

"  It  is  hard  to  put  right." 

'  That  is  my  business.  But  if  you  are  thinking  about 
yourself,  then  I  will  tell  you  that,  as  mamma  expressed  the 
wish " 

"  I  am  not  thinking  about  myself.  I  have  been  so  bounti- 
fully treated  by  the  dear  defunct,  that  I  desire  nothing. 
Lisenka"  (her  married  niece)  "  has  been  inviting  me,  and  I 
shall  go  to  her  when  I  am  not  wanted  any  longer.  Only  it 
is  a  pity  you  should  take  this  so  to  heart ;  it  happens  to  every- 
body." 

'  Well,  I  do  not  think  so.  And  I  still  beg  that  you  will 
help  me  let  this  lodging  and  put  away  the  things.  And  please 
do  not  be  angry  with  me.  I  am  very,  very  grateful  to  you 
for  all  you  have  done." 

And,  strangely,  from  the  moment  Nekhludoff  realised  that 
it  was  he  who  was  so  bad  and  disgusting  to  himself,  others 
were  no  longer  disgusting  to  him ;  on  the  contrary,  he  felt  a 
kindly  respect  for  Agraphena  Petrovna,  and  for  Corney. 

He  would  have  liked  to  go  and  confess  to  Corney  also,  but 
Corney's  manner  was  so  insinuatingly  deferential  that  he 
had  not  the  resolution  to  do  it. 

On  the  way  to  the  Law  Courts,  passing  along  the  same 
streets  with  the  same  isvostchik  as  the  day  before,  he  was 
surprised  what  a  different  being  he  felt  himself  to  be.  The 
marriage  with  Missy,  which  only  yesterday  seemed  so  prob- 
able, appeared  quite  impossible  now.  The  day  before  he  felt 
it  was  for  him  to  choose,  and  had  no  doubts  that  she  would 
be  happy  to  marry  him ;  to-day  he  felt  himself  unworthy  not 
only  of  marrying,  but  even  of  being  intimate  with  her.  "  If 
she  only  knew  what  I  am,  nothing  would  induce  her  to  re- 


132  Resurrection 

ceive  me.  And  only  yesterday  I  was  finding  fault  with  her 
because  she  flirted  with  N .  Anyhow,  even  if  she  con- 
sented to  marry  me,  could  I  be,  I  won't  say  happy,  but  at 
peace,  knowing  that  the  other  was  here  in  prison,  and  would 
to-day  or  to-morrow  be  taken  to  Siberia  with  a  gang  of  other 
prisoners,  while  I  accepted  congratulations  and  made  calls 
with  my  young  wife ;  or  while  I  count  the  votes  at  the  meet- 
ings, for  and  against  the  motion  brought  forward  by  the  rural 
inspection,  etc.,  together  with  the  Marechal  de  Noblesse, 
whom  I  abominably  deceive,  and  afterwards  make  appoint- 
ments with  his  wife  (how  abominable!)  or  while  I  continue 
to  work  at  my  picture,  which  will  certainly  never  get  fin- 
ished? Besides,  I  have  no  business  to  waste  time  on  such 
things.  I  can  do  nothing  of  the  kind  now,"  he  continued  to 
himself,  rejoicing  at  the  change  he  felt  within  himself.  "The 
first  thing  now  is  to  see  the  advocate  and  find  out  his  deci- 
sion, and  then  .  .  .  then  go  and  see  her  and  tell  her  every- 
thing." 

And  when  he  pictured  to  himself  how  he  would  see  her, 
and  tell  her  all,  confess  his  sin  to  her,  and  tell  her  that  he 
would  do  all  in  his  power  to  atone  for  his  sin,  he  was  touched 
at  his  own  goodness,  and  the  tears  came  to  his  eyes. 


Resurrection  133 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE  ABSURDITY  OF   LAW — REFLECTIONS  OF  A   JURYMAN. 

On  coming  into  the  Law  Courts  Nekhludoff  met  the  usher 
of  yesterday,  who  to-day  seemed  to  him  much  to  be  pitied, 
in  the  corridor,  and  asked  him  where  those  prisoners  who 
had  been  sentenced  were  kept,  and  to  whom  one  had  to  apply 
for  permission  to  visit  them.  The  usher  told  him  that  the 
condemned  prisoners  were  kept  in  different  places,  and  that, 
until  they  received  their  sentence  in  its  final  form,  the  per- 
mission to  visit  them  depended  on  the  president.  "  I'll  come 
and  call  you  myself,  and  take  you  to  the  president  after  the 
session.  The  president  is  not  even  here  at  present.  After  the 
session !  And  now  please  come  in ;  we  are  going  to  com- 
mence." 

Nekhludoff  thanked  the  usher  for  his  kindness,  and  went 
into  the  jurymen's  room.  As  he  was  approaching  the 
room,  the  other  jurymen  were  just  leaving  it  to  go  into  the 
court.  The  merchant  had  again  partaken  of  a  little  re- 
freshment, and  was  as  merry  as  the  day  before,  and  greeted 
Nekhludoff  like  an  old  friend.  And  to-day  Peter  Gerasimo- 
vitch  did  not  arouse  any  unpleasant  feelings  in  Nekhludoff 
by  his  familiarity  and  his  loud  laughter.  Nekhludoff  would 
have  liked  to  tell  all  the  jurymen  about  his  relations  to 
yesterday's  prisoner.  "  By  rights,"  he  thought,  "  I  ought 
to  have  got  up  yesterdav  during  the  trial  and  disclosed  my 
guilt." 

He  entered  the  court  with  the  other  jurymen,  and  wit- 
nessed the  same  procedure  as  the  day  before. 

'  The  judges  are  coming,"  was  again  proclaimed,  and 
again  three  men,  with  embroidered  collars,  ascended  the 
platform,  and  there  was  the  same  settling  of  the  jury  on  the 
high-backed  chairs,  the  same  gendarmes,  the  same  por- 
traits, the  same  priest,  and  Nekhludoff  felt  that,  though  he 
knew  what  he  ought  to  do,  he  could  not  interrupt  all  this 
solemnity.     The  preparations  for  the  trials  were  just  the 


1 34  Resurrection 

same  as  the  day  before,  excepting  that  the  swearing  in  of 
the  jury  and  the  president's  address  to  them  were  omitted. 

The  case  before  the  Court  this  day  was  one  of  burglary. 
The  prisoner,  guarded  by  two  gendarmes  with  naked 
swords,  was  a  thin,  narrow-chested  lad  of  20,  with  a  blood- 
less, sallow  face,  dressed  in  a  grey  cloak.  He  sat  alone  in 
the  prisoner's  dock.  This  boy  was  accused  of  having,  to- 
gether with  a  companion,  broken  the  lock  of  a  shed  and 
stolen  several  old  mats  valued  at  3  roubles*  and  67  copecks. 
According  to  the  indictment,  a  policeman  had  stopped  this 
boy  as  he  was  passing  with  his  companion,  who  was  carry- 
ing the  mats  on  his  shoulder.  The  boy  and  his  companion 
confessed  at  once,  and  were  both  imprisoned.  The  boy's 
companion,  a  locksmith,  died  in  prison,  and  so  the  boy  was 
being  tried  alone.  The  old  mats  were  lying  on  the  table 
as  the  objects  of  material  evidence.  The  business  was  con- 
ducted just  in  the  same  manner  as  the  day  before,  with  the 
whole  armoury  of  evidence,  proofs,  witnesses,  swearing  in, 
questions,  experts,  and  cross-examinations.  In  answer  to 
every  question  put  to  him  by  the  president,  the  prosecutor, 
or  the  advocate,  the  policeman  (one  of  the  witnesses)  in- 
variably ejected  the  words  :  "  Just  so,"  or  "  Can't  tell."  Yet, 
in  spite  of  his  being  stupefied,  and  rendered  a  mere  machine 
by  military  discipline,  his  reluctance  to  speak  about  the 
arrest  of  this  prisoner  was  evident.  Another  witness,  an 
old  house  proprietor,  and  owner  of  the  mats,  evidently  a 
rich  old  man,  when  asked  whether  the  mats  were  his,  re- 
luctantly identified  them  as  such.  When  the  public  prose- 
cutor asked  him  what  he  meant  to  do  with  these  mats,  what 
use  they  were  to  him,  he  got  angry,  and  answered :  "  The 
devil  take  those  mats ;  I  don't  want  them  at  all.  Had  I 
known  there  would  be  all  this  bother  about  them  I  should 
not  have  gone  looking  for  them,  but  would  rather  have 
added  a  ten-rouble  note  or  two  to  them,  only  not  to  be 
dragged  here  and  pestered  with  questions.  I  have  spent  a 
lot  on  isvostchiks.  Besides,  I  am  not  well.  I  have  been  suf- 
fering from  rheumatism  for  the  last  seven  years."  It  was 
thus  the  witness  spoke. 

The  accused  himself  confessed  everything,  and  looking 
round  stupidly,  like  an  animal  that  is  caught,  related  how 
it  had  all  happened.     Still  the  public  prosecutor,  drawing 

*  The  rouble  is  worth  a  little  over  two  shillings,  and  contains 
100  copecks. 


Resurrection  135 

up  his  shoulders  as  he  had  done  the  day  before,  asked  subtle 
questions  calculated  to  catch  a  cunning  criminal. 

In  his  speech  he  proved  that  the  theft  had  been  com- 
mitted from  a  dwelling-place,  and  a  lock  had  been  broken ; 
and  that  the  boy,  therefore,  deserved  a  heavy  punishment. 
The  advocate  appointed  by  the  Court  proved  that  the  theft 
was  not  committed  from  a  dwelling-place,  and  that,  though 
the  crime  was  a  serious  one,  the  prisoner  was  not  so  very 
dangerous  to  society  as  the  prosecutor  stated.  The  presi- 
dent assumed  the  role  of  absolute  neutrality  in  the  same 
way  as  he  had  done  on  the  previous  day,  and  impressed  on 
the  jury  facts  which  they  all  knew  and  could  not  help  know- 
ing. Then  came  an  interval,  just  as  the  day  before,  and 
they  smoked ;  and  again  the  usher  called  out  "  The  judges 
are  coming,"  and  in  the  same  way  the  two  gendarmes  sat 
trying  to  keep  awake  and  threatening  the  prisoner  with 
their  naked  weapons. 

The  proceedings  showed  that  this  boy  was  apprenticed 
by  his  father  at  a  tobacco  factory,  where  he  remained  five 
years.  This  year  he  had  been  discharged  by  the  owner 
after  a  strike,  and,  having  lost  his  place,  he  wandered  about 
the  town  without  any  work,  drinking  all  he  possessed.  In 
a  traktir  *  he  met  another  like  himself,  who  had  lost  his 
place  before  the  prisoner  had,  a  locksmith  by  trade  and  a 
drunkard.  One  night,  those  two,  both  drunk,  broke  the 
lock  of  a  shed  and  took  the  first  thing  they  happened  to  lay 
hands  on.  They  confessed  all  and  were  put  in  prison,  where 
the  locksmith  died  while  awaiting  the  trial.  The  boy  was 
now  being  tried  as  a  dangerous  creature,  from  whom  so- 
ciety must  be  protected. 

"  Just  as  dangerous  a  creature  as  yesterday's  culprit," 
thought  Nekhliidoff,  listening  to  all  that  was  going  on  be- 
fore him.     "  They  are  dangerous,  and  we  who  judge  them 

?    I,  a  rake,  an  adulterer,  a  deceiver.     We  are  not 

dangerous.  But,  even  supposing  that  this  boy  is  the  most 
dangerous  of  all  that  are  here  in  the  court,  what  should  be 
done  from  a  common-sense  point  of  view  when  he  has  been 
caught?  It  is  clear  that  he  is  not  an  exceptional  evil-doer, 
but  a  most  ordinary  boy  ;  every  one  sees  it — and  that  he  has 
become  what  he  is  simply  because  he  got  into  circum- 
stances that  create  such  characters,  and,  therefore,  to  pre- 

*  Cheap  restaurant. 


136  Resurrection 

vent  such  a  boy  from  going  wrong  the  circumstances  that 
create  these  unfortunate  beings  must  be  done  away  with. 

"  But  what  do  we  do  ?  We  seize  one  such  lad  who  hap- 
pens to  get  caught,  knowing  well  that  there  are  thousands 
like  him  whom  we  have  not  caught,  and  send  him  to  prison, 
where  idleness,  or  most  unwholesome,  useless  labour  is 
forced  on  him,  in  company  of  others  weakened  and  en- 
snared by  the  lives  they  have  led.  And  then  we  send  him, 
at  the  public  expense,  from  the  Moscow  to  the  Irkoutsk 
Government,  in  company  with  the  most  depraved  of  men. 

"  But  we  do  nothing  to  destroy  the  conditions  in  which 
people  like  these  are  produced ;  on  the  contrary,  we  sup- 
port the  establishments  where  they  are  formed.  These  es- 
tablishments are  well  known :  factories,  mills,  workshops, 
public-houses,  gin-shops,  brothels.  And  we  do  not  destroy 
these  places,  but,  looking  at  them  as  necessary,  we  support 
and  regulate  them.  We  educate  in  this  way  not  one,  but 
millions  of  people,  and  then  catch  one  of  them  and  imagine 
that  we  have  done  something,  that  we  have  guarded  our- 
selves, and  nothing  more  can  be  expected  of  us.  Have  we  not 
sent  him  from  the  Moscow  to  the  Irkoutsk  Government?" 
Thus  thought  Nekhludoff  with  unusual  clearness  and  vivid- 
ness, sitting  in  his  high-backed  chair  next  to  the  colonel, 
and  listening  to  the  different  intonations  of  the  advocates', 
prosecutor's,  and  president's  voices,  and  looking  at  their 
self-confident  gestures.  "  And  how  much  and  what  hard 
effort  this  pretence  requires,"  continued  Nekhludoff  in  his 
mind,  glancing  round  the  enormous  room,  the  portraits, 
lamps,  armchairs,  uniforms,  the  thick  walls  and  large  win- 
dows ;  and  picturing  to  himself  the  tremendous  size  of  the 
building,  and  the  still  more  ponderous  dimensions  of  the 
whole  of  this  organisation,  with  its  army  of  officials,  scribes, 
watchmen,  messengers,  not  only  in  this  place,  but  all  over 
Russia,  who  receive  wages  for  carrying  on  this  comedy 
which  no  one  needs.  "  Supposing  we  spent  one-hundredth 
of  these  efforts  helping  these  castaways,  whom  we  now 
only  regard  as  hands  and  bodies,  required  by  us  for  our 
own  peace  and  comfort.  Had  some  one  chanced  to  take 
pity  on  him  and  given  some  help  at  the  time  when  poverty 
made  them  send  him  to  town,  it  might  have  been  sufficient," 
Nekhludoff  thought,  looking  at  the  boy's  piteous  face.  "  Or 
even  later,  when,  after  12  hours'  work  at  the  factory,  he 
was  going  to  the  public-house,  led  away  by  his  companions, 


Resurrection  137 

had  some  one  then  come  and  said,  '  Don't  go,  Vania ;  it  is 
not  right,'  he  would  not  have  gone,  nor  got  into  bad  ways, 
and  would  not  have  done  any  wrong. 

"  But  no ;  no  one  who  would  have  taken  pity  on  him 
came  across  this  apprentice  in  the  years  he  lived  like  a  poor 
little  animal  in  the  town,  and  with  his  hair  cut  close  so  as 
not  to  breed  vermin,  and  ran  errands  for  the  workmen.  No, 
all  he  heard  and  saw,  from  the  older  workmen  and  his  com- 
panions, since  he  came  to  live  in  town,  was  that  he  who 
cheats,  drinks,  swears,  who  gives  another  a  thrashing,  who 
goes  on  the  loose,  is  a  fine  fellow.  Ill,  his  constitution  un- 
dermined by  unhealthy  labour,  drink,  and  dabauchery — 
bewildered  as  in  a  dream,  knocking  aimlessly  about  town, 
he  gets  into  some  sort  of  a  shed,  and  takes  from  there  some 
old  mats,  which  nobody  needs — and  here  we,  all  of  us 
educated  people,  rich  or  comfortably  off,  meet  together, 
dressed  in  good  clothes  and  fine  uniforms,  in  a  splendid 
apartment,  to  mock  this  unfortunate  brother  of  ours  whom 
we  ourselves  have  ruined. 

'  Terrible !  It  is  difficult  to  say  whether  the  cruelty  or 
the  absurdity  is  greater,  but  the  one  and  the  other  seem  to 
reach  their  climax." 

Nekhludofif  thought  all  this,  no  longer  listening  to  what 
was  going  on,  and  he  was  horror-struck  by  that  which  was 
being  revealed  to  him.  He  could  not  understand  why  he 
had  not  been  able  to  see  all  this  before,  and  why  others  were 
unable  to  see  it. 


>38 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THE    PROCUREUR — NEKHLUDOFF   REFUSES   TO    SERVE. 

During  an  interval  Nekhludoff  got  up  and  went  out  into 
the  corridor,  with  the  intention  of  not  returning  to  the 
court.  Let  them  do  what  they  liked  with  him,  he  could 
take  no  more  part  in  this  awful  and  horrid  tomfoolery. 

Having  inquired  where  the  Procureur's  cabinet  was  he 
went  straight  to  him.  The  attendant  did  not  wish  to  let 
him  in,  saying  that  the  Procurcur  was  busy,  but  Nekhlu- 
doff paid  no  heed  and  went  to  the  door,  where  he  was  met 
by  an  official.  He  asked  to  be  announced  to  the  Procureur, 
saying  he  was  on  the  jury  and  had  a  very  important  com- 
munication to  make. 

His  title  and  good  clothes  were  of  assistance  to  him.  The 
official  announced  him  to  the  Procureur,  and  Nekhludoff 
was  let  in.  The  Procureur  met  him  standing,  evidently 
annoyed  at  the  persistence  with  which  Nekhludoff  de- 
manded admittance. 

'  What  is  it  you  want  ?  "  the  Procureur  asked,  severely. 

"  I  am  on  the  jury ;  my  name  is  Nekhludoff,  and  it  is  ab- 
solutely necessary  for  me  to  see  the  prisoner  Maslova," 
Nekhludoff  said,  quickly  and  resolutely,  blushing,  and  feel- 
ing, that  he  was  taking  a  step  which  would  have  a  decisive 
influence  on  his  life. 

The  Procureur  was  a  short,  dark  man,  with  short,  grizzly 
hair,  quick,  sparkling  eyes,  and  a  thick  beard  cut  close  on 
his  projecting  lower  jaw. 

"Maslova?  Yes,  of  course,  I  know.  She  was  accused 
of  poisoning/'  the  Procureur  said,  quietly.  "  But  why  do 
you  want  to  see  her?  "  And  then,  as  if  wishing  to  tone 
down  his  question,  he  added,  "  I  cannot  give  you  the  per- 
mission without  knowing  why  you  require  it." 

'  I  require  it  for  a  particularly  important  reason." 

"Yes?"  said  the  Procureur,  and,  lifting  his  eyes,  looked 
attentivelv  at  Nekhludoff.  "  Has  her  case  been  heard  or 
not?" 


Resurrection  139 

"  She  was  tried  yesterday,  and  unjustly  sentenced;  she  is 
innocent." 

"  Yes?  If  she  was  sentenced  only  yesterday,"  went  on  the 
Procurcur,  paying  no  attention  to  NekhludofFs  statement 
concerning  Maslova's  innocence,  "  she  must  still  be  in  the 
preliminary  detention  prison  until  the  sentence  is  delivered 
in  its  final  form.  Visiting  is  allowed  there  only  on  certain 
days ;  I  should  advise  you  to  inquire  there." 

"  But  I  must  see  her  as  soon  as  possible,"  Nekhludoff  said, 
his  jaw  trembling  as  he  felt  the  decisive  moment  approach- 
ing. 

"  Why  must  you  ?  "  said  the  Procureur,  lifting  his  brows 
with  some  agitation. 

"  Because  I  betrayed  her  and  brought  her  to  the  condition 
which  exposed  her  to  this  accusation." 

"  All  the  same,  I  cannot  see  what  it  has  to  do  with  visiting 
her." 

'  This :  that  whether  I  succeed  or  not  in  getting  the  sen- 
tence changed  I  want  to  follow  her,  and — marry  her,"  said 
Nekhludoff,  touched  to  tears  by  his  own  conduct,  and  at  the 
same  time  pleased  to  see  the  effect  he  produced  on  the  Pro- 
ciireur. 

"  Really !  Dear  me !  "  said  the  Procureur.  "  This  is  cer- 
tainly a  very  exceptional  case.  I  believe  you  are  a  member 
of  the  Krasnopersk  rural  administration?"  he  asked,  as  if 
he  remembered  having  heard  before  of  this  Nekhludoff, 
who  was  now  making  so  strange  a  declaration. 

'''  I  beg  your  pardon,  but  I  do  not  think  that  has  anything 
to  do  with  my  request,"  answered  Nekhludoff,  flushing 
angrily. 

"  Certainly  not,"  said  the  Procureur,  with  a  scarcely  per- 
ceptible smile  and  not  in  the  least  abashed ;  "  only  your  wish 
is  so  extraordinary  and  so  out  of  the  common." 

"  Well ;  but  can  I  get  the  permission?  " 
'  The  permission  ?    Yes,  I  will  give  you  an  order  of  ad- 
mittance directly.    Take  a  seat." 

He  went  up  to  the  table,  sat  down,  and  began  to  write. 

"  Please  sit  down." 

Nekhludoff  continued  to  stand. 

Having  written  an  order  of  admittance,  and  handed  it  to 
Nekhludoff,  the  Procureur  looked  curiously  at  him. 

'  I  must  also  state  that  I  can  no  longer  take  part  in  the  ses- 
sions." 


140  Resurrection 

'  Then  you  will  have  to  lay  valid  reasons  before  the  Court, 
as  you,  of  course,  know." 

'  My  reasons  are  that  I  consider  all  judging  not  only  use- 
less, but  immoral." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Procureur,  with  the  same  scarcely  percep- 
tible smile,  as  if  to  show  that  this  kind  of  declaration  was 
well  known  to  him  and  belonged  to  the  amusing  sort.  '  Yes, 
but  you  will  certainly  understand  that  I,  as  Procureur,  can- 
not agree  with  you  on  this  point.  Therefore,  I  should  advise 
you  to  apply  to  the  Court,  which  will  consider  your  declara- 
tion, and  find  it  valid  or  not  valid,  and  in  the  latter  case  will 
impose  a  fine.    Apply,  then,  to  the  Court." 

'  I  have  made  my  declaration,  and  shall  apply  nowhere 
else,"  Nekhludoff  said,  angrily. 

'  Well,  then,  good-afternoon,"  said  the  Procureur,  bowing 
his  head/evidently  anxious  to  be  rid  of  this  strange  visitor. 

'  Who  was  that  you  had  here?  "  asked  one  of  the  members 
of  the  Court,  as  he  entered,  just  after  Nekhludoff  left  the 
room. 

'  Nekhludoff,  you  know ;  the  same  that  used  to  make  all 
sorts  of  strange  statements  at  the  Krasnopersk  rural  meet- 
ings. Just  fancy!  He  is  on  the  jury,  and  among  the  pris- 
oners there  is  a  woman  or  girl  sentenced  to  penal  servitude, 
whom  he  says  he  betrayed,  and  now  he  wants  to  marry  her." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  so." 

'  That's  what  he  told  me.  And  in  such  a  strange  state  of 
excitement !  " 

'  There  is  something  abnormal  in  the  young  men  of  to- 
day." 

"  Oh,  but  he  is  not  so  very  young." 

"  Yes.  But  how  tiresome  your  famous  h'oshcnka  was. 
He  carries  the  day  by  wearying  one  out.  He  talked  and 
talked  without  end." 

"  Oh,  that  kind  of  people  should  be  simply  stopped,  or  they 
will  become  real  obstructionists." 


Resurrection  141 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

NEKHLUDOFF    ENDEAVOURS    TO    VISIT    MASLOVA. 

From  the  Procureur  Nekhludoff  went  straight  to  the  pre- 
liminary detention  prison.  However,  no  Maslova  was  to  be 
found  there,  and  the  inspector  explained  to  Nekhludoff  that 
she  would  probably  be  in  the  old  temporary  prison.  Nekh- 
ludoff went  there. 

Yes,  Katerina  Maslova  was  there. 

The  distance  between  the  two  prisons  was  enormous,  and 
Nekhludoff  only  reached  the  old  prison  towards  evening.  He 
was  going  up  to  the  door  of  the  large,  gloomy  building,  but 
the  sentinel  stopped  him  and  rang.  A  warder  came  in  an- 
swer to  the  bell.  Nekhludoff  showed  him  his  order  of  ad- 
mittance, but  the  warder  said  he  could  not  let  him  in  without 
the  inspector's  permission.  Nekhludoff  went  to  see  the  in- 
spector. As  he  was  going  up  the  stairs  he  heard  distant 
sounds  of  some  complicated  bravura,  played  on  the  piano. 
When  a  cross  servant  girl,  with  a  bandaged  eye,  opened  the 
door  to  him,  those  sounds  seemed  to  escape  from  the  room 
and  to  strike  his  ear.  It  was  a  rhapsody  of  Liszt's,  that 
everybody  was  tired  of,  splendidly  played  but  only  to  one 
point.  When  that  point  was  reached  the  same  thing  was 
repeated.  Nekhludoff  asked  the  bandaged  maid  whether  the 
inspector  was  in.  She  answered  that  he  was  not  in. 
Will  he  return  soon  ?  " 

The  rhapsody  again  stopped  and  recommenced  loudly  and 
brilliantly  again  up  to  the  same  charmed  point. 

"  I  will  go  and  ask,"  and  the  servant  went  away. 

"  Tell  him  he  is  not  in  and  won't  be  to-day ;  he  is  out  visit- 
ing. What  do  they  come  bothering  for?"  came  the  sound 
of  a  woman's  voice  from  behind  the  door,  and  again  the 
rhapsody  rattled  on  and  stopped,  and  the  sound  of  a  chair 
pushed  back  was  heard.  It  was  plain  the  irritated  pianist 
meant  to  rebuke  the  tiresome  visitor,  who  had  come  at  an 
untimely  hour. 

"  Papa  is  not  in,"  a  pale    girl    with    crimped    hair    said, 


142  Resurrection 

crossly,  coming  out  into  the  ante-room,  but,  seeing  a  young 
man  in  a  good  coat,  she  softened. 

"  Come  in,  please.     .     .     .     What  is  it  you  want?  " 

"  I  want  to  see  a  prisoner  in  this  prison." 

"  A  political  one,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  No,  not  a  political  one.  I  have  a  permission  from  the 
Procurear." 

"  Well,  I  don't  know,  and  papa  is  out ;  but  come  in, 
please,"  she  said,  again,  "  or  else  speak  to  the  assistant.  He 
is  in  the  office  at  present ;  apply  there.  What  is  your  name?  " 

"  I  thank  you,"  said  Nekhludoff,  without  answering  her 
question,  and  went  out. 

The  door  was  not  yet  closed  after  him  when  the  same 
lively  tones  recommenced.  In  the  courtyard  Nekhludoff 
met  an  officer  with  bristly  moustaches,  and  asked  for  the 
assistant-inspector.  It  was  the  assistant  himself.  He  looked 
at  the  order  of  admittance,  but  said  that  he  could  not  decide 
to  let  him  in  with  a  pass  for  the  preliminary  prison.  Besides, 
it  was  too  late.  "  Please  to  come  again  to-morrow.  To- 
morrow, at  10,  everybody  is  allowed  to  go  in.  Come  then, 
and  the  inspector  himself  will  be  at  home.  Then  you  can 
have  the  interview  either  in  the  common  room  or,  if  the  in- 
spector allows  it,  in  the  office." 

And  so  Nekhludoff  did  not  succeed  in  getting  an  inter- 
view that  day,  and  returned  home.  As  he  went  along  the 
streets,  excited  at  the  idea  of  meeting  her,  he  no  longer 
thought  about  the  Law  Courts,  but  recalled  his  conversations 
with  the  Procureur  and  the  inspector's  assistant. 

The  fact  that  he  had  been  seeking  an  interview  with  her, 
and  had  told  the  Procureur,  and  had  been  in  two  prisons,  so 
excited  him  that  it  was  long  before  he  could  calm  down. 
When  he  got  home  he  at  once  fetched  out  his  diary,  that  had 
long  remained  untouched,  read  a  few  sentences  out  of  it,  and 
then  wrote  as  follows  : 

"  For  two  years  I  have  not  written  anything  in  my  diary, 
and  thought  I  never  should  return  to  this  childishness.  Yet 
it  is  not  childishness,  but  converse  with  my  own  self,  with 
this  real  divine  self  which  lives  in  every  man.  All  this  time 
that  I  slept  there  was  no  one  for  me  to  converse  with.  I 
was  awakened  by  an  extraordinary  event  on  the  28th  of 
April,  in  the  Law  Court,  when  I  was  on  the  jury.  I  saw  her 
in  the  prisoners'  dock,  the  Katusha  betrayed  by  me,  in  a  pris- 
oner's cloak,  condemned  to  penal  servitude  through  a  strange 


Resurrection  143 

mistake,  and  my  own  fault.  I  have  just  been  to  the  Pro- 
curer's and  to  the  prison,  but  I  was  not  admitted.  I  have 
resolved  to  do  all  I  can  to  see  her,  to  confess  to  her,  and  to 
atone  for  my  sin,  even  by  a  marriage.  God  help  me.  My 
soul  is  at  peace  and  I  am  full  of  joy." 


144  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

MASLOVA   RECALLS  THE   PAST. 

That  night  Maslova  lay  awake  a  long  time  with  her  eyes 
open  looking  at  the  door,  in  front  of  which  the  deacon's 
daughter  kept  passing.  She  was  thinking  that  nothing 
\vould  induce  her  to  go  to  the  island  of  Sakhalin  and  marry 
a  convict,  but  would  arrange  matters  somehow  with  one  of 
the  prison  officials,  the  secretary,  a  warder,  or  even  a 
warder's  assistant.  "  Aren't  they  all  given  that  way?  Only 
I  must  not  get  thin,  or  else  I  am  lost." 

She  thought  of  how  the  advocate  had  looked  at  her,  and 
also  the  president,  and  of  the  men  she  met,  and  those  who 
came  in  on  purpose  at  the  court.  She  recollected  how  her 
companion,  Bertha,  who  came  to  see  her  in  prison,  had  told 
her  about  the  student  whom  she  had  "  loved  "  while  she  was 
with  Kitaeva,  and  who  had  inquired  about  her,  and  pitied 
her  very  much.  She  recalled  many  to  mind,  only  not  Nekh- 
ludoff. She  never  brought  back  to  mind  the  days  of  her 
childhood  and  youth,  and  her  love  to  Nekhludoff.  That 
would  have  been  too  painful.  These  memories  lay  untouched 
somewhere  deep  in  her  soul;  she  had  forgotten  him,  and 
never  recalled  and  never  even  dreamt  of  him.  To-day,  in  the 
court,  she  did  not  recognise  him,  not  only  because  when  she 
last  saw  him  he  was  in  uniform,  without  a  beard,  and  had 
only  a  small  moustache  and  thick,  curly,  though  short  hair, 
and  now  was  bald  and  bearded,  but  because  she  never 
thought  about  him.  She  had  buried  his  memory  on  that  ter- 
rible dark  night  when  he,  returning  from  the  army,  had 
passed  by  on  the  railway  without  stopping  to  call  on  his 
aunts.  Katusha  then  knew  her  condition.  Up  to  that  night 
she  did  not  consider  the  child  that  lay  beneath  her  heart  a 
burden.  But  on  that  night  everything  changed,  and  the  child 
became  nothing  but  a  weight. 

His  aunts  had  expected  Nekhludoff,  had  asked  him  to 
come  and  see  them  in  passing,  but  he  had  telegraphed  that 


Ed 

O 

w 

hH 

l— ; 

M 

0 

c- 

0 

\fi 

H 

Resurrection  145 

lie  could  not  come,  as  he  had  to  be  in  Petersburg  at  an  ap- 
pointed time.  When  Katusha  heard  this  she  made  up  her 
mind  to  go  to  the  station  and  see  him.  The  train  was  to  pass 
by  at  two  o'clock  in  the  night.  Katusha  having  helped  the  old 
ladies  to  bed,  and  persuaded  a  little  girl,  the  cook's  daughter, 
Mashka,  to  come  with  her,  put  on  a  pair  of  old  boots,  threw 
a  shawl  over  her  head,  gathered  up  her  dress,  and  ran  to  the 
station. 

It  was  a  warm,  rainy,  and  windy  autumn  night.  The  rain 
now  pelted  down  in  warm,  heavy  drops,  now  stopped  again. 
It  was  too  dark  to  see  the  path  across  the  field,  and  in  the 
wood  it  was  pitch  black,  so  that  although  Katusha  knew  the 
way  well,  she  got  off  the  path,  and  got  to  the  little  station 
where  the  train  stopped  for  three  minutes,  not  before,  as  she 
had  hoped,  but  after  the  second  bell  had  been  rung.  Hurry- 
ing up  the  platform,  Katusha  saw  him  at  once  at  the  win- 
dows of  a  first-class  carriage.  Two  officers  sat  opposite  each 
other  on  the  velvet-covered  seats,  playing  cards.  This  car- 
riage was  very  brightly  lit  up ;  on  the  little  table  between  the 
seats  stood  two  thick,  dripping  candles.  He  sat  in  his  close- 
fitting  breeches  on  the  arm  of  the  seat,  leaning  against  the 
back,  and  laughed.  As  soon  as  she  recognised  him  she 
knocked  at  the  carriage  window  with  her  benumbed  hand, 
but  at  that  moment  the  last  bell  rang,  and  the  train  first  gave 
a  backward  jerk,  and  then  gradually  the  carriages  began  to 
move  forward.  One  of  the  players  rose  with  the  cards  in  his 
hand,  and  looked  out.  She  knocked  again,  and  pressed  her 
face  to  the  window,  but  the  carriage  moved  on,  and  she  went 
alongside  looking  in.  The  officer  tried  to  lower  the  window, 
but  could  not.  Nekhludoff  pushed  him  aside  and  began  low- 
ering it  himself.  The  train  went  faster,  so  that  she  had  to 
walk  quickly.  The  train  went  on  still  faster  and  the  window 
opened.  The  guard  pushed  her  aside,  and  jumped  in.  Ka- 
tusha ran  on,  along  the  wet  boards  of  the  platform,  and  when 
she  came  to  the  end  she  could  hardly  stop  herself  from  fall- 
ing as  she  ran  down  the  steps  of  the  platform.  She  was  run- 
ning by  the  side  of  the  railway,  though  the  first-class  car- 
riage had  long  passed  her,  and  the  second-class  carriages 
were  gliding  by  faster,  and  at  last  the  third-class  carriages — 
still  faster.  But  she  ran  on,  and  when  the  last  carriage  with 
the  lamps  at  the  back  had  gone  by,  she  had  already  reached 
the  tank  which  fed  the  engines,  and  was  unsheltered  from 
the  wind,  which  was  blowing  her  shawl  about  and  making 


146 


Resurrection 


her  skirt  cling  round  her  legs.  The  shawl  flew  off  her  head, 
but  still  she  ran  on. 

"  Katerina  Michailovna,  you  ve  lost  your  shawl!" 
screamed  the  little  girl,  who  was  trying  to  keep  up  with  her. 

Katusha  stopped,  threw  back  her  head,  and  catching  hold 
of  it  with  both  hands  sobbed  aloud.    "  Gone !  "  she  screamed. 

"  He  is  sitting  in  a  velvet  arm-chair  and  joking  and  drink- 
ing, in  a  brightly  lit  carriage,  and  I,  out  here  in  the  mud,  in 
the  darkness,  in  the  wind  and  the  rain,  am  standing  and 
weeping,"  she  thought  to  herself;  and  sat  down  on  the 
ground,  sobbing  so  loud  that  the  little  girl  got  frightened, 
and  put  her  arms  round  her,. wet  as  she  was. 

"  Come  home,  dear,"  she  said. 

"  When  a  train  passes — then  under  a  carriage,  and  there 
will  be  an  end,"  Katusha  was  thinking,  without  heeding  the 
girl. 

And  she  made  up  her  mind  to  do  it,  when,  as  it  always 
happens,  when  a  moment  of  quiet  follows  great  excitement, 
he,  the  child — his  child — made  himself  known  within  her. 
Suddenly  all  that  a  moment  before  had  been  tormenting  her, 
so  that  it  had  seemed  impossible  to  live,  all  her  bitterness 
towards  him,  and  the  wish  to  revenge  herself,  even  by  dying, 
passed  away ;  she  grew  quieter,  got  up,  put  the  shawl  on  her 
head,  and  went  home. 

Wet,  muddy,  and  quite  exhausted,  she  returned,  and  from 
that  day  the  change  which  brought  her  where  she  now  was 
began  to  operate  in  her  soul.  Beginning  from  that  dreadful 
night,  she  ceased  believing  in  God  and  in  goodness.  She  had 
herself  believed  in  God,  and  believed  that  other  people  also 
believed  in  Him ;  but  after  that  night  she  became  convinced 
that  no  one  believed,  and  that  all  that  was  said  about  God 
and  His  laws  was  deception  and  untruth.  He  whom  she 
loved,  and  who  had  loved  her — yes,  she  knew  that — had 
thrown  her  away ;  had  abused  her  love.  Yet  he  was  the  best 
of  all  the  people  she  knew.  All  the  rest  were  still  worse.  All 
that  afterwards  happened  to  her  strengthened  her  in  this  be- 
lief at  every  step.  His  aunts,  the  pious  old  ladies,  turned  her 
out  when  she  could  no  longer  serve  them  as  she  used  to. 
And  of  all  those  she  met,  the  women  used  her  as  a  means  of 
getting  money,  the  men,  from  the  old  police  officer  down  to 
the  warders  of  the  prison,  looked  at  her  as  on  an  object  for 
pleasure.  And  no  one  in  the  world  cared  for  aught  but 
pleasure.     In  this  belief  the  old  author  with  whom  she  had 


Resurrection  147 

come  together  in  the  second  year  of  her  life  of  independence 
had  strengthened  her.  He  had  told  her  outright  that  it  was 
this  that  constituted  the  happiness  of  life,  and  he  called  it 
poetical  and  aesthetic. 

Everybody  lived  for  himself  only,  for  his  pleasure,  and  all 
the  talk  concerning  God  and  righteousness  was  deception. 
And  if  sometimes  doubts  arose  in  her  mind  and  she  won- 
dered why  everything  was  so  ill-arranged  in  the  world  that 
all  hurt  each  other,  and  made  each  other  suffer,  she  thought 
it  best  not  to  dwell  on  it,  and  if  she  felt  melancholy  she  could 
smoke,  or,  better  still,  drink,  and  it  would  pass. 


i48 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

SUNDAY   IN    PRISON PREPARING   FOR   MASS. 

On  Sunday  morning-  at  five  o'clock,  when  a  whistle 
sounded  in  the  corridor  of  the  women's  ward  of  the  prison, 
Korableva,  who  was  already  awake,  called  Maslova. 

"Oh,  dear!  life  again,"  thought  Maslova,  with  horror, 
involuntarily  breathing  in  the  air  that  had  become  terribly 
noisome  towards  the  morning.  She  wished  to  fall  asleep 
again,  to  enter  into  the  region  of  oblivion,  but  the  habit  of 
fear  overcame  sleepiness,  and  she  sat  up  and  looked  round, 
drawing  her  feet  under  her.  The  women  had  all  got  up ; 
only  the  elder  children  were  still  asleep.  The  spirit-trader 
was  carefully  drawing  a  cloak  from  under  the  children,  so  as 
not  to  wake  them.  The  watchman's  wife  was  hanging  up 
the  rags  to  dry  that  served  the  baby  as  swaddling  clothes, 
while  the  baby  was  screaming  desperately  in  Theodosia's 
arms,  who  was  trying  to  quiet  it.  The  consumptive  woman 
was  coughing  with  her  hands  pressed  to  her  chest,  while  the 
blood  rushed  to  her  face,  and  she  sighed  loudly,  almost 
screaming,  in  the  intervals  of  coughing.  The  fat,  red-haired 
woman  was  lying  on  her  back,  with  knees  drawn  up,  and 
loudly  relating  a  dream.  The  old  woman  accused  of  incen- 
diarism was  standing  in  front  of  the  image,  crossing  herself 
and  bowing,  and  repeating  the  same  words  over  and  over 
again.  The  deacon's  daughter  sat  on  the  bedstead,  looking 
before  her,  with  a  dull,  sleepy  face.  Khoroshavka  was 
twisting  her  black,  oily,  coarse  hair  round  her  fingers.  The 
sound  of  slipshod  feet  was  heard  in  the  passage,  and  the 
door  opened  to  let  in  two  convicts,  dressed  in  jackets  and 
grey  trousers  that  did  not  reach  to  their  ankles.  With  se- 
rious, cross  faces  they  lifted  the  stinking  tub  and  carried 
it  out  of  the  cell.  The  women  went  out  to  the  taps  in  the 
corridor  to  wash.  There  the  red-haired  woman  again  be- 
gan a  quarrel  with  a  woman  from  another  cell. 

'  Is  it  the  solitary  cell  you  want?"  shouted  an  old  jailer, 


Resurrection  149 

slapping  the  red-haired  woman  on  her  bare,  fat  back,  so  that 
it  sounded  through  the  corridor.      '  You  be  quiet." 

"  Lawks!  the  old  one's  playful,"  said  the  woman,  taking 
his  action  for  a  caress. 

"  Now,  then,  be  quick ;  get  ready  for  the  mass."  Maslova 
had  hardly  time  to  do  her  hair  and  dress  when  the  inspector 
came  with  his  assistants. 

"  Come  out  for  inspection,"  cried  a  jailer. 

Some  more  prisoners  came  out  of  other  cells  and  stood  in 
two  rows  along  the  corridor ;  each  woman  had  to  place  her 
hand  on  the  shoulder  of  the  woman  in  front  of  her.  They 
were  all  counted. 

After  the  inspection  the  woman  warder  led  the  prisoners 
to  church.  Maslova  and  Theodosia  were  in  the  middle  of  a 
column  of  over  a  hundred  women,  who  had  come  out  of  dif- 
ferent cells.  All  were  dressed  in  white  skirts,  white  jackets, 
and  wore  white  kerchiefs  on  their  heads,  except  a  few  who 
had  their  own  coloured  clothes  on.  These  were  wives  who, 
with  their  children,  were  following  their  convict  husbands  to 
Siberia.  The  whole  flight  of  stairs  was  filled  by  the  proces- 
sion. The  patter  of  softly-shod  feet  mingled  with  the  voices 
and  now  and  then  a  laugh.  When  turning,  on  the  landing, 
Maslova  saw  her  enemy,  Botchkova,  in  front,  and  pointed  out 
her  angry  face  to  Theodosia.  At  the  bottom  of  the  stairs  the 
women  stopped  talking.  Bowing  and  crossing  themselves, 
they  entered  the  empty  church,  which  glistened  with  gild- 
ing. Crowding  and  pushing  one  another,  they  took  their 
places  on  the  right. 

After  the  women  came  uiie  men  condemned  to  banishment, 
those  serving  their  term  in  the  prison,  and  those  exiled  by 
their  Communes ;  and,  coughing  loudly,  they  took  their 
stand,  crowding  the  left  side  and  the  middle  of  the  church. 

On  one  side  of  the  gallery  above  stood  the  men  sentenced 
to  penal  servitude  in  Siberia,  who  had  been  let  into  the 
church  before  the  others.  Each  of  them  had  half  his  head 
shaved,  and  their  presence  was  indicated  by  the  clanking  of 
the  chains  on  their  feet.  On  the  other  side  of  the  gallery 
stood  those  in  preliminary  confinement,  without  chains,  their 
heads  not  shaved. 

The  prison  church  had  been  rebuilt  and  ornamented  by 
a  rich  merchant,  who  spent  several  tens  of  thousands  of 
roubles  on  it,  and  it  glittered  with  gay  colours  and  gold. 
For  a  time  there  was  silence  in  the  church,  and  only  cough- 


ISO 


Resurrection 


ing,  blowing  of  noses,  the  crying  of  babies,  and  now  and  then 
the  rattling  of  chains,  was  heard.  But  at  last  the  convicts 
that  stood  in  the  middle  moved,  pressed  against  each  other, 
leaving  a  passage  in  the  centre  of  the  church,  down  which 
the  prison  inspector  passed  to  take  his  place  in  front  of  every 
one  in  the  nave. 


Resurrection  J  5  l 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

THE  PRISON   CHURCH — BLIND  LEADERS  OF  THE  BLIND. 

The  service  began. 

It  consisted  of  the  following.  The  priest,  having  dressed 
in  a  strange  and  very  inconvenient  garb,  made  of  gold  cloth, 
cut  and  arranged  little  bits  of  bread  on  a  saucer,  and  then 
put  them  into  a  cup  with  wine,  repeating  at  the  same  time 
different  names  and  prayers.  Meanwhile  the  deacon  first 
read  Slavonic  prayers,  difficult  to  understand  in  themselves, 
and  rendered  still  more  incomprehensible  by  being  read  very 
fast,  and  then  sang  them  turn  and  turn  about  with  the  con- 
victs. The  contents  of  the  prayers  were  chiefly  the  desire 
for  the  welfare  of  the  Emperor  and  his  family.  These  pe- 
titions were  repeated  many  times,  separately  and  together 
with  other  prayers,  the  people  kneeling.  Besides  this,  sev- 
eral verses  from  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  were  read  by  the 
deacon  in  a  peculiarly  strained  voice,  which  made  it  impos- 
sible to  understand  what  he  read,  and  then  the  priest  read 
very  distinctly  a  part  of  the  Gospel  according  to  St.  Mark, 
in  which  it  said  that  Christ,  having  risen  from  the  dead  be- 
fore flving  up  to  heaven  to  sit  down  at  His  Father's  right 
hand,  first  showed  Himself  to  Mary  Magdalene,  out  of  whom 
He  had  driven  seven  devils,  and  then  to  eleven  of  His  disci- 
ples, and  ordered  them  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  whole  cre- 
ation, and  the  priest  added  that  if  any  one  did  not  believe  this 
he  would  perish,  but  he  that  believed  it  and  was  baptised 
should  be  saved,  and  should  besides  drive  out  devils  and 
cure  people  by  laying  his  hands  on  them,  should  talk  in 
strange  tongues,  should  take  up  serpents,  and  if  he  drank 
poison  should  not  die,  but  remain  well. 

The  essence  of  the  service  consisted  in  the  supposition 
that  the  bits  cut  up  by  the  priest  and  put  by  him  into  the 
wine,  when  manipulated  and  prayed  over  in  a  certain  way, 
turned  into  the  flesh  and  blood  of  God. 

These  manipulations  consisted  in  the  priest's  regularly 
lifting  and  holding  up  his  arms,  though  hampered  by  the 


152  Resurrection 

gold  cloth  sack  he  had  on,  then,  sinking  on  to  his  knees  and 
kissing  the  table  and  all  that  was  on  it,  but  chiefly  in  his 
taking  a  cloth  by  two  of  its  corners  and  waving  it  regularly 
and  softly  over  the  silver  saucer  and  golden  cup.  It  was 
supposed  that,  at  this  point,  the  bread  and  the  wine  turned 
into  flesh  and  blood ;  therefore,  this  part  of  the  service  was 
performed  with  the  greatest  solemnity. 

"  Now,  to  the  blessed,  most  pure,  and  most  holy  Mother 
of  God,"  the  priest  cried  from  the  golden  partition  which 
divided  part  of  the  church  from  the  rest,  and  the  choir  be- 
gan solemnly  to  sing  that  it  was  very  right  to  glorify  the 
Virgin  Mary,  who  had  borne  Christ  without  losing  her  vir- 
ginity, and  was  therefore  worthy  of  greater  honour  than 
some  kind  of  cherubim,  and  greater  glory  than  some  kind  of 
seraphim.  After  this  the  transformation  was  considered  ac- 
complished, and  the  priest  having  taken  the  napkin  off  the 
saucer,  cut  the  middle  bit  of  bread  in  four,  and  put  it  into 
the  wine,  and  then  into  his  mouth.  He  was  supposed  to  have 
eaten  a  bit  of  God's  flesh  and  swallowed  a  little  of  His  blood. 
Then  the  priest  drew  a  curtain,  opened  the  middle  door  in  the 
partition,  and,  taking  the  gold  cup  in  his  hands,  came  out 
of  the  door,  inviting  those  who  wished  to  do  so  also  to  come 
and  eat  some  of  God's  flesh  and  blood  that  was  contained  in 
the  cup.    A  few  children  appeared  to  wish  to  do  so. 

After  having  asked  the  children  their  names,  the  priest 
carefully  took  out  of  the  cup,  with  a  spoon,  and  shoved  a  bit 
of  bread  soaked  in  wine  deep  into  the  mouth  of  each  child 
in  turn,  and  the  deacon,  while  wiping  the  children's 
mouths,  sang,  in  a  merry  voice,  that  the  children  were 
eating  the  flesh  and  drinking  the  blood  of  God.  After 
this  the  priest  carried  the  cup  back  behind  the  parti- 
tion, and  there  drank  all  the  remaining  blood  and  ate  up 
all  the  bits  of  flesh,  and  after  having  carefully  sucked 
his  moustaches  and  wiped  his  mouth,  he  stepped  briskly 
from  behind  the  partition,  the  soles  of  his  calfskin  boots 
creaking.  The  principal  part  of  this  Christian  service  was 
now  finished,  but  the  priest,  wishing  to  comfort  the  unfor- 
tunate prisoners,  added  to  the  ordinary  service  another. 
This  consisted  of  his  going  up  to  the  gilt  hammered-out 
image  (with  black  face  and  hands)  supposed  to  represent 
the  very  God  he  had  been  eating,  illuminated  by  a  dozen 
wax  candles,  and  proceeding,  in  a  strange,  discordant  voice, 
to  hum  or  sing  the  following  words  : 


Resurrection  153 

"  Jesu  sweetest,  glorified  of  the  Apostles,  Jesu  lauded  by 
the  martyrs,  almighty  Monarch,  save  me,  Jesu  my  Saviour. 
Jesu,  most  beautiful,  have  mercy  on  him  who  cries  to  Thee, 
Saviour  Jesu.  Born  of  prayer  Jesu,  all  thy  saints,  all  thy 
prophets,  save  and  find  them  worthy  of  the  joys  of  heaven. 
Jesu,  lover  of  men." 

Then  he  stopped,  drew  breath,  crossed  himself,  bowed  to 
the  ground,  and  every  one  did  the  same — the  inspector,  the 
warders,  the  prisoners ;  and  from  above  the  clinking  of  the 
chains  sounded  more  unintermittently.  Then  he  continued : 
"  Of  angels  the  Creator  and  Lord  of  powers,  Jesu  most 
wonderful,  the  angels'  amazement,  Jesu  most  powerful,  of 
our  forefathers  the  Redeemer.  Jesu  sweetest,  of  patriarchs 
the  praise.  Jesu  most  glorious,  of  kings  the  strength.  Jesu 
most  good,  of  prophets  the  fulfilment.  Jesu  most  amazing, 
of  martyrs  the  strength.  Jesu  most  humble,  of  monks  the 
joy.  Jesu  most  merciful,  of  priests  the  sweetness.  Jesu 
most  charitable,  of  the  fasting  the  continence.  Jesu  most 
sweet,  of  the  just  the  joy.  Jesu  most  pure,  of  the  celibates 
the  chastity.  Jesu  before  all  ages  of  sinners  the  salvation. 
Jesu,  son  of  God,  have  mercy  on  me." 

Every  time  he  repeated  the  word  "  Jesu  "  his  voice  be- 
came more  and  more  wheezy.  At  last  he  came  to  a  stop, 
and  holding  up  his  silk-lined  cassock,  and  kneeling  down 
on  one  knee,  he  stooped  down  to  the  ground  and  the  choir 
began  to  sing,  repeating  the  words,  "  Jesu,  Son  of  God, 
have  mercy  on  me,"  and  the  convicts  fell  down  and  rose 
again,  shaking  back  the  hair  that  was  left  on  their  heads, 
and  rattling  with  the  chains  that  were  bruising  their  thin 
ankles. 

This  continued  for  a  long  time.  First  came  the  glorifica- 
tion, which  ended  with  the  words,  "  Have  mercy  on  me." 
Then  more  glorifications,  ending  with  "Alleluia!"  And 
the  convicts  made  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  bowed,  first  at 
each  sentence,  then  after  every  two  and  then  after  three, 
and  all  were  very  glad  when  the  glorification  ended,  and 
the  priest  shut  the  book  with  a  sigh  of  relief  and  retired 
behind  the  partition.  One  last  act  remained.  The  priest 
took  a  large,  gilt  cross,  with  enamel  medallions  at  the  ends, 
from  a  table,  and  came  out  into  the  centre  of  the  church 
with  it.  First  the  inspector  came  up  and  kissed  the  cross, 
then  the  jailers,  then  the  convicts,  pushing  and  abusing 
each  other  in  whispers.    The  priest,  talking  to  the  inspector, 


154  Resurrection 

pushed  the  cross  and  his  hand  now  against  the  mouths 
and  now  against  the  noses  of  the  convicts,  who  were  try- 
ing to  kiss  both  the  cross  and  the  hand  of  the  priest.  And 
thus  ended  the  Christian  service,  intended  for  the  comfort 
and  the  teaching  of  these  strayed  brothers. 


Resurrection  155 


CHAPTER  XL. 

THE  HUSKS  OF  RELIGION. 

And  none  of  those  present,  from  the  inspector  down  to 
Maslova,  seemed  conscious  of  the  fact  that  this  Jesus, 
whose  name  the  priest  repeated  such  a  great  number  of 
times,  and  whom  he  praised  with  all  these  curious  expres- 
sions, had  forbidden  the  very  things  that  were  being  done 
there ;  that  He  had  prohibited  not  only  this  meaningless 
much-speaking  and  the  blasphemous  incantation  over  the 
bread  and  wine,  but  had  also,  in  the  clearest  words,  for- 
bidden men  to  call  other  men  their  master,  and  to  pray  in 
temples ;  and  had  ordered  that  every  one  should  pray  in 
solitude,  had  forbidden  to  erect  temples,  saying  that  He  had 
come  to  destroy  them,  and  that  one  should  worship,  not  in 
a  temple,  but  in  spirit  and  in  truth ;  and,  above  all,  that  He 
had  forbidden  not  only  to  judge,  to  imprison,  to  torment,  to 
execute  men,  as  was  being  done  here,  but  had  prohibited 
any  kind  of  violence,  saying  that  He  had  come  to  give  free- 
dom to  the  captives. 

No  one  present  seemed  conscious  that  all  that  was  going 
on  here  was  the  greatest  blasphemy  and  a  supreme  mock- 
ery of  that  same  Christ  in  whose  name  it  was  being  done. 
No  one  seemed  to  realise  that  the  gilt  cross  with  the  enamel 
medallions  at  the  ends,  which  the  priest  held  out  to  the 
people  to  be  kissed,  was  nothing  but  the  emblem  of  that 
gallows  on  which  Christ  had  been  executed  for  denouncing 
just  what  was  going  on  here.  That  these  priests,  who 
imagined  they  were  eating  and  drinking  the  body  and  blood 
of  Christ  in  the  form  of  bread  and  wine,  did  in  reality  eat 
and  drink  His  flesh  and  His  blood,  but  not  as  wine  and  bits 
of  bread,  but  by  ensnaring  "  these  little  ones  "  with  whom 
He  identified  Himself,  by  depriving  them  of  the  greatest 
blessings  and  submitting  them  to  most  cruel  torments,  and 
by  hiding  from  men  the  tidings  of  great  joy  which  He  had 
brought.  That  thought  did  not  enter  into  the  mind  of 
any  one  present. 


156  Resurrection 

The  priest  did  his  part  with  a  quiet  conscience,  because 
he  was  brought  up  from  childhood  to  consider  that  the  only 
true  faith  was  the  faith  which  had  been  held  by  all  the  holy 
men  of  olden  times  and  was  still  held  by  the  Church,  and 
demanded  by  the  State  authorities.  He  did  not  believe  that 
the  bread  turned  into  flesh,  that  it  was  useful  for  the  soul  to 
repeat  so  many  words,  or  that  he  had  actually  swallowed  a 
bit  of  God.  No  one  could  believe  this,  but  he  believed  that 
one  ought  to  hold  this  faith.  What  strengthened  him  most 
in  this  faith  was  the  fact  that,  for  fulfilling  the  demands  of 
this  faith,  he  had  for  the  last  18  years  been  able  to  draw 
an  income,  which  enabled  him  to  keep  his  family,  send  his 
son  to  a  gymnasium  and  his  daughter  to  a  school  for  the 
daughters  of  the  clergy.  The  deacon  believed  in  the  same 
manner,  and  even  more  firmly  than  the  priest,  for  he  had 
forgotten  the  substance  of  the  dogmas  of  this  faith,  and 
knew  only  that  the  prayers  for  the  dead,  the  masses,  with 
and  without  the  acathistus,  all  had  a  definite  price,  which 
real  Christians  readily  paid,  and,  therefore,  he  called  out  his 
"  have  mercy,  have  mercy,"  very  willingly,  and  read  and 
said  what  was  appointed,  with  the  same  quiet  certainty  of 
its  being  necessary  to  do  so  with  which  other  men  sell  fag- 
gots, flour,  or  potatoes.  The  prison  inspector  and  the  war- 
ders, though  they  had  never  understood  or  gone  into  the 
meaning  of  these  dogmas  and  of  all  that  went  on  in  church, 
believed  that  they  must  believe,  because  the  higher  authori- 
ties and  the  Tsar  himself  believed  in  it.  Besides,  though 
faintly  (and  themselves  unable  to  explain  why),  they  felt 
that  this  faith  defended  their  cruel  occupations.  If  this  faith 
did  not  exist  it  would  have  been  more  difficult,  perhaps 
impossible,  for  them  to  use  all  their  powers  to  torment 
people,  as  they  were  now  doing,  with  a  quiet  conscience. 
The  inspector  was  such  a  kind-hearted  man  that  he  could 
not  have  lived  as  he  was  now  living  unsupported  by  his 
faith.  Therefore,  he  stood  motionless,  bowed  and  crossed 
himself  zealously,  tried  to  feel  touched  when  the  song  about 
the  cherubims  was  being  sung,  and  when  the  children  re- 
ceived communion  he  lifted  one  of  them,  and  held  him  up 
to  the  priest  with  his  own  hands. 

The  great  majority  of  the  prisoners  believed  that  there 
lay  a  mystic  power  in  these  gilt  images,  these  vestments, 
candles,  cups,  crosses,  and  this  repetition  of  incompre- 
hensible  words,   "  Jesu   sweetest  "  and   "  have   mercy  " — a 


Resurrection  157 

power  through  which  might  be  obtained  much  convenience 
in  this  and  in  the  future  life.  Only  a  few  clearly  saw  the 
deception  that  was  practised  on  the  people  who  adhered  to 
this  faith,  and  laughed  at  it  in  their  hearts ;  but  the  major- 
ity, having  made  several  attempts  to  get  the  conveniences 
they  desired,  by  means  of  prayers,  masses,  and  candles,  and 
not  having  got  them  (their  prayers  remaining  unanswered), 
were  each  of  them  convinced  that  their  want  of  success  was 
accidental,  and  that  this  organisation,  approved  by  the  edu- 
cated and  by  archbishops,  is  very  important  and  necessary, 
if  not  for  this,  at  any  rate  for  the  next  life. 

Maslova  also  believed  in  this  way.  She  felt,  like  the  rest, 
a  mixed  sensation  of  piety  and  dulness.  She  stood  at  first 
in  a  crowd  behind  a  railing,  so  that  she  could  see  no  one 
but  her  companions ;  but  when  those  to  receive  communion 
moved  on,  she  and  Theodosia  stepped  to  the  front,  and  they 
saw  the  inspector,  and,  behind  him,  standing  among  the 
warders,  a  little  peasant,  with  a  very  light  beard  and  fair 
hair.  This  was  Theodosia's  husband,  and  he  was  gazing 
with  fixed  eyes  at  his  wife.  During  the  acathistus  Maslova 
occupied  herself  in  scrutinising  him  and  talking  to  Theo- 
dosia in  whispers,  and  bowed  and  made  the  sign  of  the  cross 
only  when  every  one  else  did. 


i58 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

VISITING  DAY — THE   MEN'S   WARD. 

Nekhludoff  left  home  early.  A  peasant  from  the  coun- 
try was  still  driving  along  the  side  street  and  calling  out  in 
a  voice  peculiar  to  his  trade,  "  Milk  !  milk  !  milk  !  " 

The  first  warm  spring  rain  had  fallen  the  day  before,  and 
now  wherever  the  ground  was  not  paved  the  grass  shone 
green.  The  birch  trees  in  the  gardens  looked  as  if  they 
were  strewn  with  green  fluff,  the  wild  cherry  and  the  pop- 
lars unrolled  their  long,  balmy  buds,  and  in  shops  and 
dwelling-houses  the  double  window-frames  were  being  re- 
moved and  the  windows  cleaned. 

In  the  Tolkoochi  *  market,  which  Nekhludoff  had  to  pass 
on  his  way,  a  dense  crowd  was  surging  along  the  row  of 
booths,  and  tattered  men  walked  about  selling  top-boots, 
which  they  carried  under  their  arms,  and  renovated  trousers 
and  waistcoats,  which  hung  over  their  shoulders. 

Men  in  clean  coats  and  shining  boots,  liberated  from  the 
factories,  it  being  Sunday,  and  women  with  bright  silk 
kerchiefs  on  their  heads  and  cloth  jackets  trimmed  with 
jet,  were  already  thronging  at  the  door  of  the  traktir. 
Policemen,  with  yellow  cords  to  their  uniforms  and  carry- 
ing pistols,  were  on  duty,  looking  out  for  some  disorder 
which  might  distract  the  ennui  that  oppressed  them.  On 
the  paths  of  the  boulevards  and  on  the  newly-revived  grass, 
children  and  dogs  ran  about,  playing,  and  the  nurses  sat 
merrily  chattering  on  the  benches.  Along  the  streets,  still 
fresh  and  damp  on  the  shady  side,  but  dry  in  the  middle, 
heavy  carts  rumbled  unceasingly,  cabs  rattled  and  tramcars 
passed  ringing  by.  The  air  vibrated  with  the  pealing  and 
clanging  of  church  bells,  that  were  calling  the  people  to 
attend  to  a  service  like  that  which  was  now  being  conducted 

*  Literally,   jostling   market,    where   second-hand   clothes   and   all 
sorts  of  cheap  goods  are  sold. 


Resurrection  159 

in  the  prison.  And  the  people,  dressed  in  their  Sunday  best, 
were  passing  on  their  way  to  their  different  parish  churches. 

The  isvostchik  did  not  drive  Nekhludoff  up  to  the  prison 
itself,  but  to  the  last  turning  that  led  to  the  prison. 

Several  persons — men  and  women — most  of  them  carry- 
ing small  bundles,  stood  at  this  turning,  about  100  steps 
from  the  prison.  To  the  right  there  were  several  low 
wooden  buildings ;  to  the  left,  a  two-storeyed  house  with  a 
signboard.  The  huge  brick  building,  the  prison  proper, 
was  just  in  front,  and  the  visitors  were  not  allowed  to  come 
up  to  it.  A  sentinel  was  pacing  up  and  down  in  front  of  it, 
and  shouted  at  any  one  who  tried  to  pass  him. 

At  the  gate  of  the  wooden  buildings,  to  the  right,  op- 
posite the  sentinel,  sat  a  warder  on  a  bench,  dressed  in  uni- 
form, with  gold  cords,  a  notebook  in  his  hands.  The  vis- 
itors came  up  to  him,  and  named  the  persons  they  wanted 
to  see,  and  he  put  the  names  down.  Nekhludoff  also  went 
up,  and  named  Katerina  Maslova.  The  warder  wrote  down 
the  name. 

"  Why  don't  they  admit  us  yet?  "  asked  Nekhludoff. 

"  The  service  is  going  on.  When  the  mass  is  over,  you'll 
be  admitted." 

Nekhludoff  stepped  aside  from  the  waiting  crowd.  A 
man  in  tattered  clothes,  crumpled  hat,  with  bare  feet  and 
red  stripes  all  over  his  face,  detached  himself  from  the 
crowd,  and  turned  towards  the  prison. 

"Now,  then,  where  are  you  going?"  shouted  the  sen- 
tinel with  the  gun. 

"  And  you  hold  your  row,"  answered  the  tramp,  not  in 
the  least  abashed  by  the  sentinel's  words,  and  turned  back. 
"  Well,  if  you'll  not  let  me  in,  I'll  wait.  But,  no !  Must 
needs  shout,  as  if  he  were  a  general." 

The  crowd  laughed  approvingly.  The  visitors  were,  for 
the  greater  part,  badly-dressed  people ;  some  were  ragged, 
but  there  were  also  some  respectable-looking  men  and 
women.  Next  to  Nekhludoff  stood  a  clean-shaven,  stout, 
and  red-cheeked  man,  holding  a  bundle,  apparently  con- 
taining under-garments.  This  was  the  doorkeeper  of  a 
bank ;  he  had  come  to  see  his  brother,  who  was  arrested  for 
forgery.  The  good-natured  fellow  told  Nekhludoff  the 
whole  story  of  his  life,  and  was  going  to  question  him  in 
turn,  when  their  attention  was  aroused  by  a  student  and  a 
veiled   lady,  who  drove  up  in  a  trap,  with  rubber  tyres, 


160  Resurrection 

drawn  by  a  large  thoroughbred  horse.  The  student  was 
holding  a  large  bundle.  He  came  up  to  Nekhludoff,  and 
asked  if  and  how  he  could  give  the  rolls  he  had  brought  in 
alms  to  the  prisoners.  His  fiancee  wished  it  (this  lady 
was  his  fiancee),  and  her  parents  had  advised  them  to  take 
some  rolls  to  the  prisoners. 

"  I  myself  am  here  for  the  first  time,"  said  Nekhludoff, 
"  and  don't  know ;  but  I  think  you  had  better  ask  this  man," 
and  he  pointed  to  the  warder  with  the  gold  cords  and  the 
book,  sitting  on  the  right. 

As  they  were  speaking,  the  large  iron  door  with  a  win- 
dow in  it  opened,  and  an  officer  in  uniform,  followed  by  an- 
other warder,  stepped  out.  The  warder  with  the  notebook 
proclaimed  that  the  admittance  of  visitors  would  now  com- 
mence. The  sentinel  stepped  aside,  and  all  the  visitors 
rushed  to  the  door  as  if  afraid  of  being  too  late ;  some  even 
ran.  At  the  door  there  stood  a  warder  who  counted  the 
visitors  as  they  came  in,  saying  aloud,  16,  17,  and  so  on. 
Another  warder  stood  inside  the  building  and  also  counted 
the  visitors  as  they  entered  a  second  door,  touching  each 
one  with  his  hand,  so  that  when  they  went  away  again  not 
one  visitor  should  be  able  to  remain  inside  the  prison  and 
not  one  prisoner  might  get  out.  The  warder,  without  look- 
ing at  whom  he  was  touching,  slapped  Nekhludoff  on  the 
back,  and  Nekhludoff  felt  hurt  by  the  touch  of  the  warder's 
hand ;  but,  remembering  what  he  had  come  about,  he  felt 
ashamed  of  feeling  dissatisfied  and  taking  offence. 

The  first  apartment  behind  the  entrance  doors  was  a 
large  vaulted  room  with  iron  bars  to  the  small  windows.  In 
this  room,  which  was  called  the  meeting-room,  Nekhludoff 
was  startled  by  the  sight  of  a  large  picture  of  the  Cruci- 
fixion. 

"What's  that  for?"  he  thought,  his  mind  involuntarily 
connecting  the  subject  of  the  picture  with  liberation  and 
not  with  imprisonment. 

He  went  on,  slowly  letting  the  hurrying  visitors  pass  be- 
fore, and  experiencing  a  mingled  feeling  of  horror  at  the 
evil-doers  locked  up  in  this  building,  compassion  for  those 
who,  like  Katiisha  and  the  boy  they  tried  the  day  before, 
must  be  here  though  guiltless,  and  shyness  and  tender  emo- 
tion at  the  thought  of  the  interview  before  him.  The  war- 
der at  the  other  end  of  the  meeting-room  said  something 
as  they  passed,  but   Nekhludoff,    absorbed    by    his    own 


Resurrection  1 6 1 

thoughts,  paid  no  attention  to  him,  and  continued  to  follow 
the  majority  of  the  visitors,  and  so  got  into  the  men's  part 
of  the  prison  instead  of  the  women's. 

Letting  the  hurrying  visitors  pass  before  him,  he  was  the 
last  to  get  into  the  interviewing-room.  As  soon  as  Nekh- 
ludoff opened  the  door  of  this  room,  he  was  struck  by  the 
deafening  roar  of  a  hundred  voices  shouting  at  once,  the 
reason  of  which  he  did  not  at  once  understand.  But  when 
he  came  nearer  to  the  people,  he  saw  that  they  were  all 
pressing  against  a  net  that  divided  the  room  in  two,  like 
flies  settling  on  sugar,  and  he  understood  what  it  meant. 
The  two  halves  of  the  room,  the  windows  of  which  were 
opposite  the  door  he  had  come  in  by,  were  separated,  not 
by  one,  but  by  two  nets  reaching  from  the  floor  to  the  ceil- 
ing. The  wire  nets  were  stretched  7  feet  apart,  and 
soldiers  were  walking  up  and  down  the  space  between  them. 
On  the  further  side  of  the  nets  were  the  prisoners,  on  the 
nearer,  the  visitors.  Between  them  was  a  double  row  of 
nets  and  a  space  of  7  feet  wide,  so  that  they  could  not  hand 
anything  to  one  another,  and  any  one  whose  sight  was  not 
very  good  could  not  even  distinguish  the  face  on  the  other 
side.  It  was  also  difficult  to  talk  ;  one  had  to  scream  in 
order  to  be  heard. 

On  both  sides  were  faces  pressed  close  to  the  nets,  faces 
of  wives,  husbands,  fathers,  mothers,  children,  trying  to  see 
each  other's  features  and  to  say  what  was  necessary  in  such 
a  way  as  to  be  understood. 

But  as  each  one  tried  to  be  heard  by  the  one  he  was 
talking  to,  and  his  neighbour  tried  to  do  the  same,  they  did 
their  best  to  drown  each  other's  voices,  and  that  was  the 
cause  of  the  din  and  shouting  which  struck  Nekhludoff 
when  he  first  came  in.  It  was  impossible  to  understand 
what  was  being  said  and  what  were  the  relations  between 
the  different  people.  Next  Nekhludoff  an  old  woman  with 
a  kerchief  on  her  head  stood  trembling,  her  chin  pressed 
close  to  the  net,  and  shouting  something  to  a  young  fellow, 
half  of  whose  head  was  shaved,  who  listened  attentively 
with  raised  brows.  By  the  side  of  the  old  woman  was  a 
young  man  in  a  peasant's  coat,  who  listened,  shaking  his 
head,  to  a  boy  very  like  himself.  Next  stood  a  man  in  rags, 
who  shouted,  waving  his  arm  and  laughing.  Next  to  him 
a  woman,  with  a  good  woollen  shawl  on  her  shoulders,  sat 
on  the  floor  holding  a  baby  in  her  lap  and  crying  bitterly. 


1 62  Resurrection 

This  was  apparently  the  first  time  she  saw  the  greyheaded 
man  on  the  other  side  in  prison  clothes,  and  with  his  head 
shaved.  Beyond  her  was  the  doorkeeper,  who  had  spoken 
to  Nekhludoff  outside ;  he  was  shouting  with  all  his  might 
to  a  greyhaired  convict  on  the  other  side. 

When  Nekhludoff  found  that  he  would  have  to  speak  in 
similar  conditions,  a  feeling  of  indignation  against  those 
who  were  able  to  make  and  enforce  these  conditions  arose 
in  him ;  he  was  surprised  that,  placed  in  such  a  dreadful 
position,  no  one  seemed  offended  at  this  outrage  on  human 
feelings.  The  soldiers,  the  inspector,  the  prisoners  them- 
selves, acted  as  if  acknowledging  all  this  to  be  necessary. 

Nekhludoff  remained  in  this  room  for  about  five  minutes, 
feeling  strangely  depressed,  conscious  of  how  powerless  he 
was,  and  at  variance  with  all  the  world.  He  was  seized  with 
a  curious  moral  sensation  like  seasickness. 


Resurrection  163, 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

VISITING    DAY — THE    WOMEN'S    WARD. 

"  Well,  but  I  must  do  what  I  came  here  for,"  he  said, 
trying  to  pick  up  courage.  "  What  is  to  be  done  now?  "  He 
looked  round  for  an  official,  and  seeing  a  thin  little  man 
in  the  uniform  of  an  officer  going  up  and  down  behind  the 
people,  he  approached  him. 

"  Can  you  tell  me,  sir,"  he  said,  with  exceedingly  strained 
politeness  of  manner,  "  where  the  women  are  kept,  and 
where  one  is  allowed  to  interview  them  ?  " 

"  Is  it  the  women's  ward  you  want  to  go  to?  " 

'  Yes,  I  should  like  to  see  one  of  the  women  prisoners," 
Nekhludoff  said,  with  the  same  strained  politeness. 

'  You  should  have  said  so  when  you  were  in  the  hall. 
Who  is  it,  then,  that  you  want  to  see  ?  " 

'  I  want  to  see  a  prisoner  called  Katerina  Maslova." 

"  Is  she  a  political  one  ?  " 
No,  she  is  simply  ..." 
What!    Is  she  sentenced?  " 

'  Yes ;  the  day  before  yesterday  she  was  sentenced," 
meekly  answered  Nekhludoff,  fearing  to  spoil  the  inspec- 
tor's good  humour,  which  seemed  to  incline  in  his  favour. 

"  If  you  want  to  go  to  the  women's  ward  please  to  step 
this  way,"  said  the  officer,  having  decided  from  Nekhludoff's 
appearance  that  he  was  worthy  of  attention.  "  Sideroff, 
conduct  the  gentleman  to  the  women's  ward,"  he  said,  turn- 
ing to  a  moustached  corporal  with  medals  on  his  breast. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

At  this  moment  heart-rending  sobs  were  heard  coming 
from  some  one  near  the  net. 

Everything  here  seemed  strange  to  Nekhludoff;  but 
strangest  of  all  was  that  he  should  have  to  thank  and  feel 
obligation  towards  the  inspector  and  the  chief  warders,  the 
very  men  who  were  performing  the  cruel  deeds  that  were 
done  in  this  house. 

The  corporal  showed  Nekhludoff  through  the  corridor, 
out  of  the  men's  into  the  women's  interviewing-room. 


« 


164 


Resurrection 


This  room,  like  that  of  the  men,  was  divided  by  two  wire 
nets ;  but  it  was  much  smaller,  and  there  were  fewer  visitors 
and  fe*wer  prisoners,  so  that  there  was  less  shouting  than  in 
the  men's  room.  Yet  the  same  thing  was  going  on  here, 
only,  between  the  nets  instead  of  soldiers  there  was  a  woman 
warder,  dressed  in  a  blue-edged  uniform  jacket,  with  gold 
cords  on  the  sleeves,  and  a  blue  belt.  Here  also,  as  in  the 
men's  room,  the  people  were  pressing  close  to  the  wire  net- 
ting on  both  sides ;  on  the  nearer  side,  the  townspeople  in 
varied  attire ;  on  the  further  side,  the  prisoners,  some  in 
white  prison  clothes,  others  in  their  own  coloured  dresses. 
The  whole  length  of  the  net  was  taken  up  by  the  people 
standing  close  to  it.  Some  rose  on  tiptoe  to  be  heard  across 
the  heads  of  others ;  some  sat  talking  on  the  floor. 

The  most  remarkable  of  the  prisoners,  both  by  her  pierc- 
ing screams  and  her  appearance,  was  a  thin,  dishevelled 
gipsy.  Her  kerchief  had  slipped  off  her  curly  hair,  and  she 
stood  near  a  post  in  the  middle  of  the  prisoner's  division, 
shouting  something,  accompanied  by  quick  gestures,  to  a 
gipsy  man  in  a  blue  coat,  girdled  tightly  below  the  waist. 
Next  the  gipsy  man,  a  soldier  sat  on  the  ground  talking  to 
a  prisoner;  next  the  soldier,  leaning  close  to  the  net,  stood 
a  young  peasant,  with  a  fair  beard  and  a  flushed  face,  keep- 
ing back  his  tears  with  difficulty.  A  pretty,  fair-haired  pris- 
oner, with  bright  blue  eyes,  was  speaking  to  him.  These  two 
were  Theodosia  and  her  husband.  Next  to  them  was  a 
tramp,  talking  to  a  broad-faced  woman ;  then  two  women, 
then  a  man,  then  again  a  woman,  and  in  front  of  each  a 
prisoner.  Maslova  was  not  among  them.  But  some  one 
stood  by  the  window  behind  the  prisoners,  and  Nekhludoff 
knew  it  was  she.  His  heart  began  to  beat  faster,  and  his 
breath  stopped.  The  decisive  moment  was  approaching. 
He  went  up  to  the  part  of  the  net  where  he  could  see  the 
prisoner,  and  recognised  her  at  once.  She  stood  behind  the 
blue-eyed  Theodosia,  and  smiled,  listening  to  what  Theo- 
dosia was  saying.  She  did  not  wear  the  prison  cloak  now, 
but  a  white  dress,  tightly  drawn  in  at  the  waist  by  a  belt, 
and  very  full  in  the  bosom.  From  under  her  kerchief  ap- 
peared the  black  ringlets  of  her  fringe,  just  the  same  as  in 
the  court. 

"  Now,  in  a  moment  it  will  be  decided,"  he  thought. 
"  How  shall  I  call  her?    Or  will  she  come  herself?  " 


Resurrection  165 

She  was  expecting  Bertha ;  that  this  man  had  come  to  see 
her  never  entered  her  head. 

"  Whom  do  you  want  ?  "  said  the  warder  who  was  walk- 
ing between  the  nets,  coming  up  to  Nekhludoff. 

"  Katerina  Maslova,"  Nekhludoff  uttered,  with  difficulty. 

"  Katerina  Maslova,  some  one  to  see  you,"  cried  the 
warder. 


1 66  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

NEKHLUDOFF  VISITS   MASLOVA. 

Maslova  looked  round,  and  with  head  thrown  back  and 
expanded  chest,  came  up  to  the  net  with  that  expression  of 
readiness  which  he  well  knew,  pushed  in  between  two  pris- 
oners, and  gazed  at  Nekhludoff  with  a  surprised  and  ques- 
tioning look.  But,  concluding  from  his  clothing  he  was  a 
rich  man,  she  smiled. 

"Is  it  me  you  want?"  she  asked,  bringing  her  smiling 
face,  with  the  slightly  squinting  eyes,  nearer  the  net. 

"  I,  I — I  wished  to  see "  Nekhludoff  did  not  know  how 

to  address  her.     '  I  wished  to  see  you — I "    He  was  not 

speaking  louder  than  usual. 

"  No ;  nonsense,  I  tell  you !  "  shouted  the  tramp  who 
stood  next  to  him.    "  Have  you  taken  it  or  not  ?  " 

"  Dying,  I  tell  you ;  what  more  do  you  want?  "  some  one 
else  was  screaming  at  his  other  side. 

Maslova  could  not  hear  what  Nekhludoff  was  saying,  but 
the  expression  of  his  face  as  he  was  speaking  reminded  her 
of  him.  She  did  not  believe  her  own  eyes ;  still  the  smile 
vanished  from  her  face  and  a  deep  line  of  suffering  appeared 
on  her  brow. 

"  I  cannot  hear  what  you  are  saying,"  she  called  out, 
wrinkling  her  brow  and  frowning  more  and  more. 

"  I  have  come,"  said  Nekhludoff.  "  Yes,  I  am  doing  my 
duty — I  am  confessing,"  thought  Nekhludoff ;  and  at  this 
thought  the  tears  came  in  his  eyes,  and  he  felt  a  choking  sen- 
sation in  his  throat,  and  holding  on  with  both  hands  to  the 
net,  he  made  efforts  to  keep  from  bursting  into  tears. 

"  I  say,  why  do  you  shove  yourself  in  where  you're  not 
wanted  ?  "  some  one  shouted  at  one  side  of  him. 

"  God  is  my  witness ;  I  know  nothing,"  screamed  a  pris- 
oner from  the  other  side. 

Noticing  his  excitement,  Maslova  recognised  him. 

"  You're  like  .  .  .  but  no  ;  I  don't  know  you,"  she  shouted, 
without  looking  at  him,  and  blushing,  while  her  face  grew 
still  more  stern. 


Resurrection  167 

"  I  have  come  to  ask  you  to  forgive  me,"  he  said,  in  a  loud 
but  monotonous  voice,  like  a  lesson  learnt  by  heart. 

Having  said  these  words  he  became  confused  ;  but  imme- 
diately came  the  thought  that,  if  he  felt  ashamed,  it  was  all 
the  better ;  he  had  to  bear  this  shame,  and  he  continued  in  a 
loud  voice : 

"  Forgive  me ;  I  have  wronged  you  terribly." 

She  stood  motionless  and  without  taking  her  squinting 
eyes  off  him. 

He  could  not  continue  to  speak,  and  stepping  away  from 
the  net  he  tried  to  suppress  the  sobs  that  were  choking  him. 

The  inspector,  the  same  officer  who  had  directed  Nekhlu- 
doff  to  the  women's  ward,  and  whose  interest  he  seemed  to 
have  aroused,  came  into  the  room,  and,  seeing  Nekhludoff 
not  at  the  net,  asked  him  why  he  was  not  talking  to  her 
whom  he  wanted  to  see.  Nekhludoff  blew  his  nose,  gave 
himself  a  shake,  and,  trying  to  appear  calm,  said : 

"  It's  so  inconvenient  through  these  nets ;  nothing  can  be 
heard." 

Again  the  inspector  considered  for  a  moment. 

"  Ah,  well,  she  can  be  brought  out  here  for  awhile.  Mary 
Karlovna,"  turning  to  the  warder,  "  lead  Maslova  out." 

A  minute  later  Maslova  came  out  of  the  side  door.  Step- 
ping softly,  she  came  up  close  to  Nekhludoff,  stopped,  and 
looked  up  at  him  from  under  her  brows.  Her  black  hair 
was  arranged  in  ringlets  over  her  forehead  in  the  same  way 
as  it  had  been  two  days  ago ;  her  face,  though  unhealthy  and 
puffy,  was  attractive,  and  looked  perfectly  calm,  only  the 
glittering  black  eyes  glanced  strangely  from  under  the 
swollen  lids. 

'  You  may  talk  here,"  said  the  inspector,  and  shrugging 
his  shoulders  he  stepped  aside  with  a  look  of  surprise. 
Nekhludoff  moved  towards  a  seat  by  the  wall. 

Maslova  cast  a  questioning  look  at  the  inspector,  and 
then,  shrugging  her  shoulders  in  surprise,  followed  Nekh- 
ludoff to  the  bench,  and  having  arranged  her  skirt,  sat 
down  beside  him. 

"  I  know  it  is  hard  for  you  to  forgive  me,"  he  began,  but 
stopped.  His  tears  were  choking  him.  '  But  though  I 
can't  undo  the  past,  I  shall  now  do  what  is  in  mv  power. 
Tell  me " 

"  How  have  you  managed  to  find  me?"  she  said,  with- 


1 68  Resurrection 

out  answering  his  question,  neither  looking  away  from  him 
nor  quite  at  him,  with  her  squinting  eyes. 

"  O  God,  help  me !  Teach  me  what  to  do,"  Nekhludoff 
thought,  looking  at  her  changed  face.  "  I  was  on  the  jury 
the  day  before  yesterday,"  he  said.  "  You  did  not  recog- 
nise me?  " 

"  No,  I  did  not ;  there  was  not  time  for  recognitions.  I 
did  not  even  look,"  she  said. 

"  There  was  a  child,  was  there  not?  "  he  asked. 

"  Thank  God !  he  died  at  once,"  she  answered,  abruptly 
and  viciously. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?    Why  ?  " 

"  I  was  so  ill  myself,  I  nearly  died,"  she  said,  in  the  same 
quiet  voice,  which  Nekhludoff  had  not  expected,  and  could 
not  understand. 

"  How  could  my  aunts  have  let  you  go?  " 

"  Who  keeps  a  servant  that  has  a  baby  ?  They  sent  me 
off  as  soon  as  they  noticed.  But  why  speak  of  this  ?  I  re- 
member nothing.   That's  all  finished." 

"  No,  it  is  not  finished ;  I  wish  to  redeem  my  sin." 

"  There's  nothing  to  redeem.  What's  been  has  been  and 
is  passed,"  she  said;  and,  what  he  never  expected,  she 
looked  at  him  and  smiled  in  an  unpleasantly  luring,  yet  pit- 
eous, manner. 

Maslova  never  expected  to  see  him  again,  and  certainly 
not  here  and  not  now ;  therefore,  when  she  first  recognised 
him,  she  could  not  keep  back  the  memories  which  she 
never  wished  to  revive.  In  the  first  moment  she  remem- 
bered dimly  that  new,  wonderful  world  of  feeling  and  of 
thought  which  had  been  opened  to  her  by  the  charming 
young  man  who  loved  her  and  whom  she  loved,  and  then 
his  incomprehensible  cruelty  and  the  whole  string  of 
humiliations  and  suffering  which  flowed  from  and  followed 
that  magic  joy.  This  gave  her  pain,  and,  unable  to  under- 
stand it,  she  did  what  she  was  always  in  the  habit  of  doing, 
she  got  rid  of  these  memories  by  enveloping  them  in  the  mist 
of  a  depraved  life.  In  the  first  moment,  she  associated  the 
man  now  sitting  beside  her  with  the  lad  she  had  loved ;  but 
feeling  that  this  gave  her  pain,  she  dissociated  them  again. 
Now,  this  well-dressed,  carefully-got-up  gentleman  with 
perfumed  beard  was  no  longer  the  Nekhludoff  whom  she 
had  loved  but  only  one  of  the  people  who  made  use  of 
creatures  like  herself  when  thev  needed  them,  and  whom 


Resurrection  169 

creatures  like  herself  had  to  make  use  of  in  their  turn  as 
profitably  as  they  could ;  and  that  is  why  she  looked  at  him 
with  a  luring  smile  and  considered  silently  how  she  could 
best  make  use  of  him. 

"  That's  all  at  an  end,"  she  said.  "  Now  I'm  condemned 
to  Siberia,"  and  her  lip  trembled  as  she  was  saying  this 
dreadful  word. 

"  I  knew ;  I  was  certain  you  were  not  guilty,"  said  Nekh- 
ludoff. 

"  Guilty !  of  course  not ;  as  if  I  could  be  a  thief  or  a 
robber."  She  stopped,  considering  in  what  way  she  could 
best  get  something  out  of  him. 

'  They  say  here  that  all  depends  on  the  advocate,"  she 
began.  "  A  petition  should  be  handed  in,  only  they  say  it's 
expensive." 

'  Yes,  most  certainly,"  said  Nekhludoff.  "  I  have  already 
spoken  to  an  advocate." 

'  No  money  ought  to  be  spared ;  it  should  be  a  good 
one,"  she  said. 

'  I  shall  do  all  that  is  possible." 

They  were  silent,  and  then  she  smiled  again  in  the  same 
way. 

"  And  I  should  like  to  ask  you  ...  a  little  money 
if  you  can  .  .  •  .  not  much ;  ten  roubles,  I  do  not  want 
more,"  she  said,  suddenly. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  Nekhludoff  said,  with  a  sense  of  confusion, 
and  felt  for  his  purse. 

She  looked  rapidly  at  the  inspector,  who  was  walking  up 
and  down  the  room.  "  Don't  give  it  in  front  of  him ;  he'd 
take  it  away." 

Nekhludoff  took  out  his  purse  as'  soon  as  the  inspector 
had  turned  his  back ;  but  had  no  time  to  hand  her  the  note 
before  the  inspector  faced  them  again,  so  he  crushed  it  up 
in  his  hand. 

"  This  woman  is  dead,"  Nekhludoff  thought,  looking  at 
this  once  sweet,  and  now  defiled,  puffy  face,  lit  up  by  an 
evil  glitter  in  the  black,  squinting  eyes  which  were  now 
glancing  at  the  hand  in  which  he  held  the  note,  then  fol- 
lowing the  inspector's  movements,  and  for  a  moment  he 
hesitated.  The  tempter  that  had  been  speaking  to  him  in 
the  night  again  raised  its  voice,  trying  to  lead  him  out  of 
the  realm  of  his  inner  into  the  realm  of  his  outer  life,  away 
from  the  question  of  what  he  should  do  to  the  question  of 


170  Resurrection 

what  the  consequences  would  be,  and  what  would  be 
practical. 

"  You  can  do  nothing  with  this  woman,"  said  the  voice ; 
"  you  will  only  tie  a  stone  round  your  neck,  which  will  help 
to  drown  you,  and  hinder  you  from  being  useful  to  others. 
Is  it  not  better  to  give  her  all  the  money  that  is  here,  say 
good-bye,  and  finish  with  her  forever?"  whispered  the 
voice. 

But  here  he  felt  that  now,  at  this  very  moment,  some- 
thing most  important  was  taking  place  in  his  soul — that 
his  inner  life  was,  as  it  were,  wavering  in  the  balance,  sc 
that  the  slightest  effort  would  make  it  sink  to  this  side  or 
the  other.  And  he  made  this  effort  by  calling  to  his  assist- 
ance that  God  whom  he  had  felt  in  his  soul  the  day  before, 
and  that  God  instantly  responded.  He  resolved  to  tell  her 
everything  now — at  once. 

"  Katusha,  I  have  come  to  ask  you  to  forgive  me,  and 
you  have  given  me  no  answer.  Have  you  forgiven  me? 
Will  you  ever  forgive  me?  "  he  asked. 

She  did  not  listen  to  him,  but  looked  at  his  hand  and 
at  the  inspector,  and  when  the  latter  turned  she  hastily 
stretched  out  her  hand,  grasped  the  note,  and  hid  it  under 
her  belt. 

"  That's  odd,  what  you  are  saying  there,"  she  said,  with  a 
smile  of  contempt,  as  it  seemed  to  him. 

Nekhludoff  felt  that  there  was  in  her  soul  one  who  was 
his  enemy  and  who  was  protecting  her,  such  as  she  was 
now,  and  preventing  him  from  getting  at  her  heart.  But, 
strange  to  say,  this  did  not  repel  him,  but  drew  him  nearer 
to  her  by  some  fresh,  m  peculiar  power.  He  knew  that  he 
must  waken  her  soul,  that  this  was  terribly  difficult,  but  the 
very  difficulty  attracted  him.  He  now  felt  towards  her  as 
he  had  never  felt  towards  her  or  any  one  else  before.  There 
was  nothing  personal  in  this  feeling :  he  wanted  nothing 
from  her  for  himself,  but  only  wished  that  she  might  not 
remain  as  she  now  was,  that  she  might  awaken  and  be- 
come again  what  she  had  been. 

"  Katusha,  why  do  you  speak  like  that?  I  know  you;  I 
remember  you — and  the  old  days  in  Papovo." 

"  What's  the  use  of  recalling  what's  past?  "  she  remarked, 
drily. 

"  I  am  recalling  it  in  order  to  put  it  right,  to  atone  for 
my  sin,  Katusha,"  and  he  was  going  to  say  that  he  would 


Resurrection  171 

marry  her,  but,  meeting  her  eyes,  he  read  in  them  some- 
thing so  dreadful,  so  coarse,  so  repellent,  that  he  could  not 
go  on. 

At  this  moment  the  visitors  began  to  go.  The  inspector 
came  up  to  Nekhludoff  and  said  that  the  time  was  up. 

"  Good-bye ;  I  have  still  much  to  say  to  you,  but  you  see 
it  is  impossible  to  do  so  now,"  said  Nekhludoff,  and  held 
out  his  hand.    "  I  shall  come  again." 

"  I  think  you  have  said  all." 

She  took  his  hand  but  did  not  press  it. 

"  No ;  I  shall  try  to  see  you  again,  somewhere  where  we 
can  talk,  and  then  I  shall  tell  you  what  I  have  to  say — some- 
thing very  important." 

"  Well,  then,  come;  why  not?  "  she  answered,  and  smiled 
with  that  habitual,  inviting,  and  promising  smile  which  she 
gave  to  the  men  whom  she  wished  to  please. 

"  You  are  more  than  a  sister  to  me,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

"  That's  odd,"  she  said  again,  and  went  behind  the  grat- 
ing. 


172  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 
maslova's  view  of  life. 

Before  the  first  interview,  Nekhludoff  thought  that  when 
she  saw  him  and  knew  of  his  intention  to  serve  her,  Katusha 
would  be  pleased  and  touched,  and  would  be  Katusha  again ; 
but,  to  his  horror,  he  found  that  Katusha  existed  no  more, 
and  there  was  Maslova  in  her  place.  This  astonished  and 
horrified  him. 

What  astonished  him  most  was  that  Katusha  was  not 
ashamed  of  her  position — not  the  position  of  a  prisoner  (she 
was  ashamed  of  that),  but  her  position  as  a  prostitute.  She 
seemed  satisfied,  even  proud  of  it.  And,  yet,  how  could  it  be 
otherwise?  Everybody,  in  order  to  be  able  to  act,  has  to 
consider  his  occupation  important  and  good.  Therefore,  in 
whatever  position  a  person  is,  he  is  certain  to  form  such  a 
view  of  the  life  of  men  in  general  which  will  make  his  occu- 
pation seem  important  and  good. 

It  is  usually  imagined  that  a  thief,  a  murderer,  a  spy,  a 
prostitute,  acknowledging  his  or  her  profession  as  evil,  is 
ashamed  of  it.  But  the  contrary  is  true.  People  whom  fate 
and  their  sin-mistakes  have  placed  in  a  certain  position,  how- 
ever false  that  position  may  be,  form  a  view  of  life  in  general 
which  makes  their  position  seem  good  and  admissible.  In 
order  to  keep  up  their  view  of  life,  these  people  instinctively 
keep  to  the  circle  of  those  people  who  share  their  views  of 
life  and  their  own  place  in  it.  This  surprises  us,  where  the 
persons  concerned  are  thieves,  bragging  about  their  dex- 
terity, prostitutes  vaunting  their  depravity,  or  murderers 
boasting  of  their  cruelty.  This  surprises  us  only  because 
the  circle,  the  atmosphere  in  which  these  people  live,  is  lim- 
ited, and  we  are  outside  it.  But  can  we  not  observe  the  same 
phenomenon  when  the  rich  boast  of  their  wealth,  i.e.,  rob- 
bery ;  the  commanders  in  the  army  pride  themselves  on  their 
victories,  i.e.,  murder;  and  those  in  high  places  vaunt  their 
power,  i.e.,  violence?    We  do  not  see  the  perversion  in  the 


Resurrection 


J73 


views  of  life  held  by  these  people,  only  because  the  circle 
formed  by  them  is  more  extensive,  and  we  ourselves  are 
moving  inside  of  it. 

And  in  this  manner  Maslova  had  formed  her  views  of  life 
and  of  her  own  position.  She  was  a  prostitute  condemned  to 
Siberia,  and  yet  she  had  a  conception  of  life  which  made  it 
possible  for  her  to  be  satisfied  with  herself,  and  even  to  pride 
herself  on  her  position  before  others. 

According  to  this  conception,  the  highest  good  for  all  men 
without  exception — old,  young,  schoolboys,  generals,  edu- 
cated and  uneducated,  was  connected  with  the  relation  of  the 
sexes ;  therefore,  all  men,  even  when  they  pretended  to  be 
occupied  with  other  things,  in  reality  took  this  view.  She 
was  an  attractive  woman,  and  therefore  she  was  an  im- 
portant and  necessary  person.  The  whole  of  her  former  and 
present  life  was  a  confirmation  of  the  correctness  of  this  con- 
ception. 

With  such  a  view  of  life,  she  was  by  no  means  the  lowest, 
but  a  very  important  person.  And  Maslova  prized  this  view 
of  life  more  than  anything ;  she  could  not  but  prize  it,  for, 
if  she  lost  the  importance  that  such  a  view  of  life  gave  her 
among  men,  she  would  lose  the  meaning  of  her  life.  And,  in 
order  not  to  lose  the  meaning  of  her  life,  she  instinctively 
clung  to  the  set  that  looked  at  life  in  the  same  way  as  she  did. 
Feeling  that  Nekhludoff  wanted  to  lead  her  out  into  another 
world,  she  resisted  him,  foreseeing  that  she  would  have  to 
lose  her  place  in  life,  with  the  self-possession  and  self-re- 
spect it  gave  her.  For  this  reason  she  drove  from  her  the 
recollections  of  her  early  youth  and  her  first  relations  with 
Nekhludoff.  These  recollections  did  not  correspond  with 
her  present  conception  of  the  world,  and  were  therefore  quite 
rubbed  out  of  her  mind,  or,  rather,  lay  somewhere  buried 
and  untouched,  closed  up  and  plastered  over  so  that  they 
should  not  escape,  as  when  bees,  in  order  to  protect  the  result 
of  their  labour,  will  sometimes  plaster  a  nest  of  worms. 
Therefore,  the  present  Nekhludoff  was  not  the  man  she  had 
once  loved  with  a  pure  love,  but  only  a  rich  gentleman  whom 
she  could,  and  must,  make  use  of,  and  with  whom  she  could 
only  have  the  same  relations  as  with  men  in  general. 

"  No,  I  could  not  tell  her  the  chief  thing,"  thought  Nekh- 
ludoff, moving  towards  the  front  doors  with  the  rest  of  the 
people.  "  I  did  not  tell  her  that  I  would  marry  her;  I  did 
not  tell  her  so,  but  I  will,"  he  thought. 


*74 


Resurrection 


The  two  warders  at  the  door  let  out  the  visitors,  counting 
them  again,  and  touching  each  one  with  their  hands,  so  that 
no  extra  person  should  go  out,  and  none  remain  within.  The 
slap  on  his  shoulder  did  not  offend  Nekhludoff  this  time ;  he 
did  not  even  notice  it. 


Resurrection  175 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

FANARIN,    THE   ADVOCATE — THE    PETITION. 

Nekhludoff  meant  to  rearrange  the  whole  of  his  exter- 
nal life,  to  let  his  large  house  and  move  to  an  hotel,  but 
Agraphena  Petrovna  pointed  out  that  it  was  useless  to- 
change  anything  before  the  winter.  No  one  would  rent  a 
town  house  for  the  summer ;  anyhow,  he  would  have  to  live 
and  keep  his  things  somewhere.  And  so  all  his  efforts  to 
change  his  manner  of  life  (he  meant  to  live  more  simply :  as 
the  students  live)  led  to  nothing.  Not  only  did  everything 
remain  as  it  was,  but  the  house  was  suddenly  filled  with  new 
activity.  All  that  was  made  of  wool  or  fur  was  taken  out  to 
be  aired  and  beaten.  The  gate-keeper,  the  boy,  the  cook,  and 
Corney  himself  took  part  in  this  activity.  All  sorts  of 
strange  furs,  which  no  one  ever  used,  and  various  uniforms 
were  taken  out  and  hung  on  a  line,  then  the  carpets  and  fur- 
niture were  brought  out,  and  the  gate-keeper  and  the  boy 
rolled  their  sleeves  up  their  muscular  arms  and  stood  beating 
these  things,  keeping  strict  time,  while  the  rooms  were  filled 
with  the  smell  of  naphthaline. 

When  Nekhludoff  crossed  the  yard  or  looked  out  of  the 
window  and  saw  all  this  going  on,  he  was  surprised  at  the 
great  number  of  things  there  were,  all  quite  useless.  Their 
only  use,  Nekhludoff  thought,  was  the  providing  of  exercise 
for  Agraphena  Petrovna,  Corney,  the  gate-keeper,  the  boy, 
and  the  cook. 

"  But  it's  not  worth  while  altering  my  manner  of  life 
now,"  he  thought,  "  while  Maslova's  case  is  not  decided. 
Besides,  it  is  too  difficult.  It  will  alter  of  itself  when  she  will 
be  set  free  or  exiled,  and  I  follow  her." 

On  the  appointed  day  Nekhludoff  drove  up  to  the  advocate 
Fanarin's  own  splendid  house,  which  was  decorated  with 
huge  palms  and  other  plants,  and  wonderful  curtains,  in  fact, 
with  all  the  expensive  luxury  witnessing  to  the  possession  of 
much  idle  money,  i.e.,  money  acquired  without  labour, 
which  only  those  possess  who  grow  rich  suddenly.     In  the 


176  Resurrection 

waiting-room,  just  as  in  a  doctor's  waiting-room,  he  found 
many  dejected-looking  people  sitting  round  several  tables, 
on  which  lay  illustrated  papers  meant  to  amuse  them,  await- 
ing their  turns  to  be  admitted  to  the  advocate.  The  advo- 
cate's assistant  sat  in  the  room  at  a  high  desk,  and  having 
recognised  Nekhludoff,  he  came  up  to  him  and  said  he  would 
go  and  announce  him  at  once.  But  the  assistant  had  not 
reached  the  door  before  it  opened  and  the  sounds  of  loud, 
animated  voices  were  heard ;  the  voice  of  a  middle- 
aged,  sturdy  merchant,  with  a  red  face  and  thick  moustaches, 
and  the  voice  of  Fanarin  himself.  Fanarin  was  also  a  mid- 
dle-aged man  of  medium  height,  with  a  worn  look  on  his 
face.  Both  faces  bore  the  expression  which  you  see  on  the 
faces  of  those  who  have  just  concluded  a  profitable  but  not 
quite  honest  transaction. 

'  Your  own  fault,  you  know,  my  dear  sir,"  Fanarin  said, 
smiling. 

"  We'd  all  be  in  'eaven  were  it  not  for  hour  sins." 

"  Oh,  yes,  yes ;  we  all  know  that,"  and  both  laughed  un- 
naturally. 

"Oh,  Prince  Nekhludoff!  Please  to  step  in,"  said  Fan- 
arin, seeing  him,  and,  nodding  once  more  to  the  merchant, 
he  led  Nekhludoff  into  his  business  cabinet,  furnished  in  a 
severely  correct  style. 

"  Won't  you  smoke?  "  said  the  advocate,  sitting  down  op- 
posite Nekhludoff  and  trying  to  conceal  a  smile,  apparently 
still  excited  by  the  success  of  the  accomplished  transaction. 

'  Thanks ;  I  have  come  about  Maslova's  case." 

'  Yes,  yes ;  directly !  But  oh,  what  rogues  these  fat 
money  bags  are !  '"  he  said.  "  You  saw  this  here  fellow. 
Why,  he  has  about  twelve  million  roubles,  and  he  cannot 
speak  correctly ;  and  if  he  can  get  a  twenty-five  rouble  note 
out  of  you  he'll  have  it,  if  he's  to  wrench  it  out  with  his 
teeth." 

'  He  says  '  'eaven  and  hour,'  and  you  say  '  this  here  fel- 
low,' "  Nekhludoff  thought,  with  an  insurmountable  feeling 
of  aversion  towards  this  man  who  wished  to  show  by  his  free 
and  easy  manner  that  he  and  Nekhludoff  belonged  to  one  and 
the  same  camp,  while  his  other  clients  belonged  to  another. 

'  He  has  worried  me  to  death — a  fearful  scoundrel.    I  felt 

I  must  relieve  my  feelings,"  said  the  advocate,  as  if  to  excuse 

his  speaking  about  things  that  had  no  reference  to  business. 

'  Well,  how  about  your  case?    I  have  read  it  attentively,  but 


Resurrection  177 

do  not  approve  of  it.  I  mean  that  greenhorn  of  an  advocate 
has  left  no  valid  reason  for  an  appeal." 

"  Well,  then,  what  have  you  decided?  " 

"  One  moment.  Tell  him,"  he  said  to  his  assistant,  who 
had  just  come  in,  "  that  I  keep  to  what  I  have  said.  If  he 
can,  it's  all  right ;  if  not,  no  matter." 

"  But  he  won't  agree." 

"  Well,  no  matter,"  and  the  advocate  frowned. 

"  There  now,  and  it  is  said  that  we  advocates  get  our 
money  for  nothing,"  he  remarked,  after  a  pause.  "  I  have 
freed  one  insolvent  debtor  from  a  totally  false  charge,  and 
now  they  all  flock  to  me.  Yet  every  such  case  costs  enormous 
labour.  Why,  don't  we,  too,  '  lose  bits  of  flesh  in  the  ink- 
stand? '  as  some  writer  or  other  has  said.  Well,  as  to  your 
case,  or,  rather,  the  case  you  are  taking  an  interest  in.  It 
has  been  conducted  abominably.  There  is  no  good  reason  for 
appealing.  Still,"  he  continued,  "  we  can  but  try  to  get  the 
sentence  revoked.  This  is  what  I  have  noted  down."  He 
took  up  several  sheets  of  paper  covered  with  writing,  and 
began  to  read  rapidly,  slurring  over  the  uninteresting  legal 
terms  and  laying  particular  stress  on  some  sentences.  "  To 
the  Court  of  Appeal,  criminal  department,  etc.,  etc.  Accord- 
ing to  the  decisions,  etc.,  the  verdict,  etc.,  So-and-so  Maslova 
pronounced  guilty  of  having  caused  the  death  through 
poison  of  the  merchant  Smelkoff,  and  has,  according  to  Stat- 
ute 1454  of  the  penal  code,  been  sentenced  to  Siberia,"  etc., 
etc.  He  stopped.  Evidently,  in  spite  of  his  being  so  used  to 
it,  he  still  felt  pleasure  in  listening  to  his  own  productions. 
'  This  sentence  is  the  direct  result  of  the  most  glaring  ju- 
dicial perversion  and  error,"  he  continued,  impressively, 
"  and  there  are  grounds  for  its  revocation.  Firstly,  the  read- 
ing of  the  medical  report  of  the  examination  of  Smelkoff' s 
intestines  was  interrupted  by  the  president  at  the  very  begin- 
ning.    This  is  point  one." 

"  But  it  was  the  prosecuting  side  that  demanded  this 
reading,"  Nekhludoff  said,  with  surprise. 

"  That  does  not  matter.  There  might  have  been  reasons 
for  the  defence  to  demand  this  reading,  too." 

"  Oh,  but  there  could  have  been  no  reason  whatever  for 
that." 

"  It  is  a  ground  for  appeal,  though.  To  continue :  '  Sec- 
ondly,' he  went  on  reading,  '  when  Maslova's  advocate,  in 
his  speech  for  the  defence,  wishing  to  characterise  Mas- 


lyS  Resurrection 

lova's  personality,  referred  to  the  causes  of  her  fall,  he  was 
interrupted  by  the  president  calling  him  to  order  for  the 
alleged  deviation  from  the  direct  subject.  Yet,  as  has  been 
repeatedly  pointed  out  by  the  Senate,  the  elucidation  of  the 
criminal's  characteristics  and  his  or  her  moral  standpoint 
in  general  has  a  significance  of  the  first  importance  in  crim- 
inal cases,  even  if  only  as  a  guide  in  the  settling  of  the 
question  of  imputation.'  That's  point  two,"  he  said,  with  a 
look  at  Nekhludoff. 

"  But  he  spoke  so  badly  that  no  one  could  make  anything 
of  it,"  Nekhludoff  said,  still  more  astonished. 

"  The  fellow's  quite  a  fool,  and  of  course  could  not 
be  expected  to  say  anything  sensible,"  Fanarin  said, 
laughing ;  '  but,  all  the  same,  it  will  do  as  a  reason  for 
appeal.  Thirdly :  '  The  president,  in  his  summing  up,  con- 
trary to  the  direct  decree  of  section  i,  statute  801,  of  the 
criminal  code,  omitted  to  inform  the  jury  what  the  judicial 
points  are  that  constitute  guilt ;  and  did  not  mention  that 
having  admitted  the  fact  of  Maslova  having  administered 
the  poison  to  Smelkoff,  the  jury  had  a  right  not  to  impute 
the  guilt  of  murder  to  her,  since  the  proofs  of  wilful  intent 
to  deprive  Smelkoff  of  life  were  absent,  and  only  to  pro- 
nounce her  guilty  of  carelessness  resulting  in  the  death  of 
the  merchant,  which  she  did  not  desire.'  This  is  the  chief 
point." 

'  Yes ;  but  we  ought  to  have  known  that  ourselves.  It 
was  our  mistake." 

"  And  now  the  fourth  point,"  the  advocate  continued. 
'  The  form  of  the  answer  given  by  the  jury  contained  an 
evident  contradiction.  Maslova  is  accused  of  wilfully 
poisoning  Smelkoff,  her  one  object  being  that  of  cupidity, 
the  only  motive  to  commit  murder  she  could  have  had.  The 
jury  in  their  verdict  acquit  her  of  the  intent  to  rob,  or  par- 
ticipation in  the  stealing  of  valuables,  from  which  it  follows 
that  they  intended  also  to  acquit  her  of  the  intent  to  murder, 
and  only  through  a  misunderstanding,  which  arose  from  the 
incompleteness  of  the  president's  summing  up,  omitted  to 
express  it  in  due  form  in  their  answer.  Therefore  an  answer 
of  this  kind  by  the  jury  absolutely  demanded  the  applica- 
tion of  statutes  816  and  808  of  the  criminal  code  of  pro- 
cedure, i.e.,  an  explanation  by  the  president  to  the  jury  of 
the  mistake  made  by  them,  and  another  debate  on  the  ques- 
tion of  the  prisoner's  guilt." 


Resurrection  179 

■    "  Then  why  did  the  president  not  do  it  ?  " 

"  I,  too,  should  like  to  know  why,"  Fanarin  said,  laugh- 
ing. 

"  Then  the  Senate  will,  of  course,  correct  this  error?  " 

"  That  will  all  depend  on  who  will  preside  there  at  the 
time.  Well,  now,  there  it  is.  I  have  further  said,"  he  con- 
tinued, rapidly,  "  a  verdict  of  this  kind  gave  the  Court  no 
right  to  condemn  Maslova  to  be  punished  as  a  criminal,  and 
to  apply  section  3,  statute  771  of  the  penal  code  to  her  case. 
This  is  a  decided  and  gross  violation  of  the  basic  principles 
of  our  criminal  law.  In  view  of  the  reasons  stated,  I  have 
the  honour  of  appealing  to  you,  etc.,  etc.,  the  refutation, 
according  to  909,  910,  and  section  2,  912  and  928  statute  of 
the  criminal  code,  etc.,  etc.  ...  to  carry  this  case  before 
another  department  of  the  same  Court  for  a  further  exam- 
ination. There ;  all  that  can  be  done  is  done,  but,  to  be 
frank,  I  have  little  hope  of  success,  though,  of  course,  it  all 
depends  on  what  members  will  be  present  at  the  Senate. 
If  you  have  any  influence  there  you  can  but  try." 

"  I  do  know  some." 

"  All  right ;  only  be  quick  about  it.  Else  they'll  all  go  off 
for  a  change  of  air ;  then  you  may  have  to  wait  three  months 
before  they  return.  Then,  in  case  of  failure,  we  have  still 
the  possibility  of  appealing  to  His  Majesty.  This,  too,  de- 
pends on  the  private  influence  you  can  bring  to  work.  In 
this  case,  too,  I  am  at  your  service ;  I  mean  as  to  the  work- 
ing of  the  petition,  not  the  influence." 

"  Thank  you.    Now  as  to  your  fees?  " 

"  My  assistant  will  hand  you  the  petition  and  tell  you/' 

"  One  thing  more.  The  Procurcur  gave  me  a  pass  for 
visiting  this  person  in  prison,  but  they  tell  me  I  must  also 
get  a  permission  from  the  governor  in  order  to  get  an  inter- 
view at  another  time  and  in  another  place  than  those  ap- 
pointed.    Is  this  necessary  ?  " 

'  Yes,  I  think  so.  But  the  governor  is  away  at  present ; 
'  a  vice-governor  is  in  his  place.  And  he  is  such  an  im- 
penetrable fool  that  you'll  scarcely  be  able  to  do  anything 
with  him." 

"Is  it  Maslennikoff?" 

"  Yes." 

"  I  know  him,"  said  Nekhludoff,  and  got  up  to  go.  At 
this  moment  a  horribly  ugly,  little,  bony,  snub-nosed,  yel- 
low-faced woman  flew  into  the  room.    It  was  the  advocate's 


180  Resurrection 

wife,  who  did  not  seem  to  be  in  the  least  bit  troubled  by  her 
ugliness.  She  was  attired  in  the  most  original  manner ;  she 
seemed  enveloped  in  something  made  of  velvet  and  silk, 
something  yellow  and  green,  and  her  thin  hair  was  crimped. 
She  stepped  out  triumphantly  into  the  ante-room,  followed 
by  a  tall,  smiling  man,  with  a  greenish  complexion,  dressed 
in  a  coat  with  silk  facings,  and  a  white  tie.  This  was  an 
author.    Nekhludoff  knew  him  by  sight. 

She  opened  the  cabinet  door  and  said,  "  Anatole,  you 
must  come  to  me.  Here  is  Simeon  Ivanovitch,  who  will 
read  his  poems,  and  you  must  absolutely  come  and  read 
about  Garshin." 

Nekhludoff  noticed  that  she  whispered  something  to  her 
husband,  and,  thinking  it  was  something  concerning  him, 
wished  to  go  away,  but  she  caught  him  up  and  said :  "  I 
beg  your  pardon,  Prince,  I  know  you,  and,  thinking  an  in- 
troduction superfluous,  I  beg  you  to  stay  and  take  part  in 
our  literary  matinee.  It  will  be  most  interesting.  M.  Fana- 
rin  will  read." 

"  You  see  what  a  lot  I  have  to  do,"  said  Fanarin,  spread- 
ing out  his  hands  and  smilingly  pointing  to  his  wife,  as  if  to 
show  how  impossible  it  was  to  resist  so  charming  a  creature. 

Nekhludoff  thanked  the  advocate's  wife  with  extreme 
politeness  for  the  honour  she  did  him  in  inviting  him,  but 
refused  the  invitation  with  a  sad  and  solemn  look,  and  left 
the  room. 

"  What  an  affected  fellow !  "  said  the  advocate's  wife, 
when  he  had  gone  out. 

In  the  ante-room  the  assistant  handed  him  a  ready-writ- 
ten petition,  and  said  that  the  fees,  including  the  business 
with  the  Senate  and  the  commission,  would  come  to  1,000 
roubles,  and  explained  that  M.  Fanarin  did  not  usually 
undertake  this  kind  of  business,  but  did  it  onlv  to  oblige 
Nekhludoff. 

"  And  about  this  petition.    Who  is  to  sign  it?  " 

"  The  prisoner  may  do  it  herself,  or  if  this  is  inconvenient, 
M.  Fanarin  can,  if  he  gets  a  power  of  attorney  from  her." 

"  Oh,  no.  I  shall  take  the  petition  to  her  and  get  her  to 
sign  it,"  said  Nekhludoff,  glad  of  the  opportunity  of  seeing 
her  before  the  appointed  day. 


Resurrection  I  8  I 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

A  PRISON  FLOGGING. 

At  the  usual  time  the  jailer's  whistle  sounded  in  the  cor- 
ridors of  the  prison,  the  iron  doors  of  the  cells  rattled,  bare 
feet  pattered,  heels  clattered,  and  the  prisoners  who  acted  as 
scavengers  passed  along  the  corridors,  filling  the  air  with 
disgusting  smells.  The  prisoners  washed,  dressed,  and 
came  out  for  revision,  then  went  to  get  boiling  water  for 
their  tea. 

The  conversation  at  breakfast  in  all  the  cells  was  very- 
lively.  It  was  all  about  two  prisoners  who  were  to  be  flogged 
that  day.  One,  Vasiliev,  was  a  young  man  of  some  educa- 
tion, a  clerk,  who  had  killed  his  mistress  in  a  fit  of  jealousy. 
His  fellow-prisoners  liked  him  because  he  was  merry  and 
generous  and  firm  in  his  behaviour  with  the  prison  authori- 
ties. He  knew  the  laws  and  insisted  on  their  being  carried 
out.    Therefore  he  was  disliked  by  the  authorities. 

Three  weeks  before  a  jailer  struck  one  of  the  scavengers 
who  had  spilt  some  soup  over  his  new  uniform.  Vasiliev 
took  the  part  of  the  scavenger,  saying  that  it  was  not  law- 
ful to  strike  a  prisoner. 

"  I'll  teach  you  the  law,"  said  the  jailer,  and  gave  Vasi- 
liev a  scolding.  Vasiliev  replied  in  like  manner,  and  the 
jailer  was  going  to  hit  him,  but  Vasiliev  seized  the  jailer's 
hands,  held  them  fast  for  about  three  minutes,  and,  after 
giving  the  hands  a  twist,  pushed  the  jailer  out  of  the  door. 
The  jailer  complained  to  the  inspector,  who  ordered  Vasi- 
liev to  be  put  into  a  solitary  cell. 

The  solitary  cells  were  a  row  of  dark  closets,  locked  from 
outside,  and  there  were  neither  beds,  nor  chairs,  nor  tables 
in  them,  so  that  the  inmates  had  to  sit  or  lie  on  the  dirty 
floor,  while  the  rats,  of  which  there  were  a  great  many  in 
those  cells,  ran  across  them.  The  rats  were  so  bold  that 
they  stole  the  bread  from  the  prisoners,  and  even  attacked 
them  if  they  stopped  moving.  Vasiliev  said  he  would  not 
go  into  the  solitary  cell,  because  he  had  not  done  anything 


1 82  Resurrection 

wrong ;  but  they  used  force.  Then  he  began  struggling,  and 
two  other  prisoners  helped  him  to  free  himself  from  the 
jailers.  All  the  jailers  assembled,  and  among  them  was 
Petrov,  who  was  distinguished  for  his  strength.  The  pris- 
oners got  thrown  down  and  pushed  into  the  solitary  cells. 
The  governor  was  immediately  informed  that  something 
very  like  a  rebellion  had  taken  place.  And  he  sent  back  an 
order  to  flog  the  two  chief  offenders,  Vasiliev  and  the  tramp, 
Nepomnishy,  giving  each  thirty  strokes  with  a  birch  rod. 
The  flogging  was  appointed  to  take  place  in  the  women's  in- 
terviewing-room. 

All  this  was  known  in  the  prison  since  the  evening,  and  it 
was  being  talked  about  with  animation  in  all  the  cells. 

Korableva,  Kho'roshavka,  Theodosia,  and  Maslova  sat 
together  in  their  corner,  drinking  tea,  all  of  them  flushed  and 
animated  by  the  vodka  they  had  drunk,  for  Maslova,  who 
now  had  a  constant  supply  of  vodka,  freely  treated  her  com- 
panions to  it. 

"  He's  not  been  a-rioting,  or  anything,"  Korableva  said, 
referring  to  Vasiliev,  as  she  bit  tiny  pieces  off  a  lump  of 
sugar  with  her  strong  teeth.  "  He  only  stuck  up  for  a  chum, 
'cause  it's  not  lawful  to  strike  prisoners  nowadays." 

"  And  he's  a  fine  fellow,  I've  heard  say,"  said  Theodosia, 
who  sat  bareheaded,  with  her  long  plaits  round  her  head,  on 
a  log  of  wood  opposite  the  shelf  bedstead  on  which  the  tea- 
pot stood. 

'  There,  now,  if  you  were  to  ask  him"  the  watchman's 
wife  said  to  Maslova  (by  him  she  meant  Nekhludoff). 

"  I  shall  tell  him.  He'll  do  anything  for  me,"  Maslova 
said,  tossing  her  head,  and  smiling. 

'  Yes,  but  when  is  he  coming?  and  they've  already  gone  to 
fetch  them,"  said  Theodosia.  "  It  is  terrible,"  she  added, 
with  a  sigh. 

"  I  once  did  see  how  they  flogged  a  peasant  in  the  village. 
Father-in-law,  he  sent  me  once  to  the  village  elder.  Well, 
I  went,  and  there  "...  The  watchman's  wife  began  her 
long  story,  which  was  interrupted  by  the  sound  of  voices 
and  steps  in  the  corridor  above  them. 

The  women  were  silent,  and  sat  listening. 

'  There  they  are,  hauling  him  along,  the  devils !  "  Kho- 
roshavka  said.  "  They'll  do  him  to  death,  they  will.  The 
jailers  are  so  enraged  with  him  because  he  never  would  give 
in  to  them." 


Resurrection  183 

All  was  quiet  again  upstairs,  and  the  watchman's  wife 
finished  her  story  of  how  she  was  that  frightened  when  she 
went  into  the  barn  and  saw  them  flogging  a  peasant,  her  in- 
side turned  at  the  sight,  and  so  on.  Khoroshavka  related 
how  Schegloff  had  been  flogged,  and  never  uttered  a  sound. 
Then  Theodosia  put  away  the  tea  things,  and  Korableva  and 
the  watchman's  wife  took  up  their  sewing.  Maslova  sat 
down  on  the  bedstead,  with  her  arms  round  her  knees,  dull 
and  depressed.  She  was  about  to  lie  down  and  try  to  sleep, 
when  the  woman  warder  called  her  into  the  office  to  see  a 
visitor. 

"  Now,  mind,  and  don't  forget  to  tell  him  about  us,"  the 
old  woman  (Menshova)  said,  while  Maslova  was  arranging 
the  kerchief  on  her  head  before  the  dim  looking-glass.  '  We 
did  not  set  fire  to  the  house,  but  he  himself,  the  fiend,  did  it ; 
his  workman  saw  him  do  it,  and  will  not  damn  his  soul  by 
denying  it.  You  just  tell  to  ask  to  see  my  Mitri.  Mitri 
will  tell  him  all  about  it,  as  plain  as  can  be.  Just  think  of 
our  being  locked  up  in  prison  when  we  never  dreamt  of  any 
ill,  while  he,  the  fiend,  is  enjoying  himself  at  the  pub,  with 
another  man's  wife." 

"  That's  not  the  law,"  remarked  Korableva. 

"  I'll  tell  him— I'll  tell  him,"  answered  Maslova.  "  Sup- 
pose I  have  another  drop,  just  to  keep  up  courage,"  she 
added,  with  a  wink ;  and  Korableva  poured  out  half  a  cup  of 
vodka,  which  Maslova  drank.  Then,  having  wiped  her 
mouth  and  repeating  the  words  "  Just  to  keep  up  courage," 
tossing  her  head  and  smiling  gaily,  she  followed  the  warder 
along  the  corridor. 


184  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

NEKHLUDOFF  AGAIN  VISITS  MASLOVA. 

Nekhludoff  had  to  wait  in  the  hall  for  a  long  time.  When 
he  had  arrived  at  the  prison  and  rung  at  the  entrance  door, 
he  handed  the  permission  of  the  Procureur  to  the  jailer  on 
duty  who  met  him. 

"  No,  no,"  the  jailer  on  duty  said  hurriedly,  "  the  inspec- 
tor is  engaged." 

"In  the  office?"  asked  Nekhludoff. 

"  No,  here  in  the  interviewing-room." 

"  Why,  is  it  a  visiting  day  to-day?  " 

"  No  ;  it's  special  business." 

"I  should  like  to  see  him.  What  am  I  to  do?"  said 
Nekhludoff. 

"  When  the  inspector  comes  out  you'll  tell  him wait 

a  bit,"  said  the  jailer. 

At  this  moment  a  sergeant-major,  with  a  smooth,  shiny 
face  and  moustaches  impregnated > with  tobacco  smoke,  came 
out  of  a  side  door,  with  the  gold  cords  of  his  uniform  glis- 
tening, and  addressed  the  jailer  in  a  severe  tone. 

'  What  do  you  mean  by  letting  any  one  in  here  ?  The 
office.  .  .  ." 

"  I  was  told  the  inspector  was  here,"  said  Nekhludoff,  sur- 
prised at  the  agitation  he  noticed  in  the  sergeant-major's 
manner. 

At  this  moment  the  inner  door  opened,  and  Petrov  came 
out,  heated  and  perspiring. 

"  He'll  remember  it,"  he  muttered,  turning  to  the  sergeant- 
major.  The  latter  pointed  at  Nekhludoff  by  a  look,  and 
Petrov  knitted  his  brows  and  went  out  through  a  door  at 
the  back. 

'  Who  will  remember  it  ?  Why  do  they  all  seem  so  con- 
fused? Why  did  the  sergeant-major  make  a  sign  to  him?" 
Nekhludoff  thought. 

The  sergeant-major,  again  addressing  Nekhludoff,  said: 


Resurrection  185 

"  You  cannot  meet  here ;  please  step  across  to  the  office." 
And  Nekhludoff  was  about  to  comply  when  the  inspector 
came  out  of  the  door  at  the  back,  looking  even  more  con- 
fused than  his  subordinates,  and  sighing  continually.  When 
he  saw  Nekhludoff  he  turned  to  the  jailer. 

"  Fedotoff,  have  Maslova,  cell  5,  women's  ward,  taken  to 
the  office." 

"  Will  you  come  this  way,  please,"  he  said,  turning  to 
Nekhludoff.  They  ascended  a  steep  staircase  and  entered 
a  little  room  with  one  window,  a  writing-table,  and  a  few 
chairs  in  it.    The  inspector  sat  down. 

"  Mine  are  heavy,  heavy  duties,"  he  remarked,  again  ad- 
dressing Nekhludoff,  and  took  out  a  cigarette. 

"  You  are  tired,  evidently,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

"  Tired  of  the  whole  of  the  service — the  duties  are  very 
trying.  One  tries  to  lighten  their  lot,  and  only  makes  it 
worse ;  my  only  thought  is  how  to  get  away.  Heavy,  heavy 
duties!  " 

Nekhludoff  did  not  know  what  the  inspector's  particular 
difficulties  were,  but  he  saw  that  to-day  he  was  in  a  peculiarly 
dejected  and  hopeless  condition,  calling  for  pity.  '  Yes,  I 
should  think  the  duties  were  heavy  for  a  kind-hearted  man," 
he  said.    "  Why  do  you  serve  in  this  capacity?  " 

"  I  have  a  family." 

"  But,  if  it  is  so  hard " 

"  Well,  still  you  know  it  is  possible  to  be  of  use  in  some 
measure;  I  soften  down  all  I  can.  Another  in  my  place 
would  conduct  the  affairs  quite  differently.  Why,  we  have 
more  than  2,000  persons  here.  And  what  persons !  One 
must  know  how  to  manage  them.  It  is  easier  said  than  done, 
you  know.  After  all,  they  are  also  men ;  one  cannot  help 
pitying  them."  The  inspector  began  telling  Nekhludoff  of 
a  fight  that  had  lately  taken  place  among  the  convicts,  which 
had  ended  by  one  man  being  killed. 

The  story  was  interrupted  by  the  entrance  of  Maslova, 
who  was  accompanied  by  a  jailer. 

Nekhludoff  saw  her  through  the  doorway  before  she  had 
noticed  the  inspector.  She  was  following  the  warder  briskly, 
smiling  and  tossing  her  head.  When  she  saw  the  inspector 
she  suddenly  changed,  and  gazed  at  him  with  a  frightened 
look ;  but,  quickly  recovering,  she  addressed  Nekhludoff 
boldly  and  gaily. 

"  How  d'you  do  ?  "  she  said,  drawling  out  her  words,  and 


1 86  Resurrection 

smilingly  took  his  hand  and  shook  it  vigorously,  not  like  the 
first  time. 

"  Here,  I've  brought  you  a  petition  to  sign,"  said  Nekhlu- 
doff, rather  surprised  by  the  boldness  with  which  she  greeted 
him  to-day. 

"  The  advocate  has  written  out  a  petition  which  you  will 
have  to  sign,  and  then  we  shall  send  it  to  Petersburg." 

"  All  right !  That  can  be  done.  Anything  you  like,"  she 
said,  with  a  wink  and  a  smile. 

And  Nekhludoff  drew  a  folded  paper  from  his  pocket  and 
went  up  to  the  table. 

'May  she  sign  it  here?"  asked  Nekhludoff,  turning  to 
the  inspector. 

"  It's  all  right,  it's  all  right !  Sit  down.  Here's  a  pen  ;  you 
can  write  ?  "  said  the  inspector. 

"  I  could  at  one  time,"  she  said ;  and,  after  arranging  her 
skirt  and  the  sleeves  of  her  jacket,  she  sat  down  at  the  table, 
smiled  awkwardly,  took  the  pen  with  her  small,  energetic 
hand,  and  glanced  at  Nekhludoff  with  a  laugh. 

Nekhludoff  told  her  what  to  write  and  pointed  out  the 
place  where  to  sign. 

Sighing  deeply  as  she  dipped  her  pen  into  the  ink,  and 
carefully  shaking  some  drops  off  the  pen,  she  wrote  her 
name. 

"  Is  it  all?"  she  asked,  looking  from  Nekhludoff  to  the 
inspector,  and  putting  the  pen  now  on  the  inkstand,  now  on 
the  papers. 

'  I  have  a  few  words  to  tell  you,"  Nekhludoff  said,  taking 
the  pen  from  her. 

"  All  right ;  tell  me,"  she  said.  And  suddenly,  as  if  re- 
membering something,  or  feeling  sleepy,  she  grew  serious. 

The  inspector  rose  and  left  the  room,  and  Nekhludoff  re- 
mained with  her. 


Resurrection  187 


CHAPTER  XLVIIL 

MASLOVA  REFUSES  TO  MARRY. 

The  jailer  who  had  brought  Maslova  in  sat  on  a  window- 
sill  at  some  distance  from  them. 

The  decisive  moment  had  come  for  Nekhludoff.  He  had 
been  incessantly  blaming  himself  for  not  having  told  her  the 
principal  thing  at  the  first  interview,  and  was  now  deter- 
mined to  tell  her  that  he  would  marry  her.  She  was  sitting 
at  the  further  side  of  the  table.  Nekhludoff  sat  down  oppo- 
site her.  It  was  light  in  the  room,  and  Nekhludoff  for  the 
first  time  saw  her  face  quite  near.  He  distinctly  saw  the 
crowsfeet  round  her  eyes,  the  wrinkles  round  her  mouth,  and 
the  swollen  eyelids.  He  felt  more  sorry  than  before.  Lean- 
ing over  the  table  so  as  not  to  be  heard  by  the  jailer — a  man 
of  Jewish  type  with  grizzly  whiskers,  who  sat  by  the  win- 
dow— Nekhludoff  said : 

"  Should  this  petition  come  to  nothing  we  shall  appeal  to 
the  Emperor.    All  that  is  possible  shall  be  done." 

"  There,  now,  if  we  had  had  a  proper  advocate  from  the 
first,"  she  interrupted.  '  My  defendant  was  quite  a  silly. 
He  did  nothing  but  pay  me  compliments,"  she  said,  and 
laughed.  "  If  it  had  then  been  known  that  I  was  acquainted 
with  you,  it  would  have  been  another  matter.  They  think 
every  one's  a  thief." 

"  How  strange  she  is  to-day,"  Nekhludoff  thought,  and 
was  just  going  to  say  what  he  had  on  his  mind  when  she  be- 
gan again  : 

'  There's  something  I  want  to  say.  We  have  here  an  old 
woman  ;  such  a  fine  one,  d'you  know,  she  just  surprises  every 
one;  she  is  imprisoned  for  nothing,  and  her  son,  too,  and 
everybody  knows  they  are  innocent,  though  they  are  accused 
of  having  set  fire  to  a  house.  D'you  know,  hearing  I  was 
acquainted  with  you,  she  says :  :  Tell  him  to  ask  to  see  my 
son ;  he'll  tell  him  all  about  it.' '  Thus  spoke  Maslova,  turn- 
ing her  head  from  side  to  side,  and  glancing  at  Nekhludoff. 


1 88  Resurrection 

"  Their  name's  Menshoff.  Well,  will  you  do  it?  Such  a  fine 
old  thing,  you  know ;  you  can  see  at  once  she's  innocent. 
You'll  do  it,  there's  a  dear,"  and  she  smiled,  glanced  up  at 
him,  and  then  cast  down  her  eyes. 

"  All  right.  I'll  find  out  about  them,"  Nekhludoff  said, 
more  and  more  astonished  by  her  free-and-easy  manner. 
"  But  I  was  going  to  speak  to  you  about  myself.  Do  you  re- 
member what  I  told  you  last  time?  " 

'  You  said  a  lot  last  time.  What  was  it  you  told  me  ?  "  she 
said,  continuing  to  smile  and  to  turn  her  head  from  side  to 
side. 

'  I  said  I  had  come  to  ask  you  to  forgive  me,"  he  began. 

'  What's  the  use  of  that  ?  Forgive,  forgive,  where's  the 
good  of " 

'  To  atone  for  my  sin,  not  by  mere  words,  but  in  deed.  I 
have  made  up  my  mind  to  marry  you." 

An  expression  of  fear  suddenly  came  over  her  face.  Her 
squinting  eyes  remained  fixed  on  him,  and  yet  seemed  not  to 
be  looking  at  him. 

"  What's  that  for  ?  "  she  said,  with  an  angry  frown. 

"  I  feel  that  it  is  my  duty  before  God  to  do  it." 

'  What  God  have  you  found  now  ?  You  are  not  saying 
what  you  ought  to.  God,  indeed  !  What  God  ?  You  ought 
to  have  remembered  God  then,"  she  said,  and  stopped  with 
her  mouth  open.  It  was  only  now  that  Nekhludoff  noticed 
that  her  breath  smelled  of  spirits,  and  that  he  understood  the 
cause  of  her  excitement. 

"  Try  and  be  calm,"  he  said. 

"  Why  should  I  be  calm  ?  "  she  began,  quickly,  flushing 
scarlet.  "  I  am  a  convict,  and  you  are  a  gentleman  and  a 
prince.  There's  no  need  for  you  to  soil  yourself  by  touching 
me.  You  go  to  your  princesses ;  my  price  is  a  ten-rouble 
note." 

"  However  cruelly  you  may  speak,  you  cannot  express 
what  I  myself  am  feeling,"  he  said,  trembling  all  over ;  "  you 
cannot  imagine  to  what  extent  I  feel  myself  guilty  towards 
you." 

'  Feel  yourself  guilty?  "  she  said,  angrily  mimicking  him. 
'  You  did  not  feel  so  then,  but  threw  me  ioo  roubles.    That's 
your  price." 

'I  know,  I  know;  but  what  is  to  be  done  now?"  said 
Nekhludoff.  '  I  have  decided  not  to  leave  you,  and  what  I 
have  said  I  shall  do." 


Resurrection  189 

"  And  I  say  you  shan't,"  she  said,  and  laughed  aloud. 

"  Katusha,"  he  said,  touching  her  hand. 

"  You  go  away.  I  am  a  convict  and  you  a  prince,  and 
you've  no  business  here,"  she  cried,  pulling  away  her  hand, 
her  whole  appearance  transformed  by  her  wrath.  '  You've 
got  pleasure  out  of  me  in  this  life,  and  want  to  save  yourself 
through  me  in  the  life  to  come.  You  are  disgusting  to  me — 
your  spectacles  and  the  whole  of  your  dirty  fat  mug.  Go, 
go !  "  she  screamed,  starting  to  her  feet. 

The  jailer  came  up  to  them. 

"  What  are  you  kicking  up  this  row  for  ?  That 
won  t 

"  Let  her  alone,  please,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

"  She  must  not  forget  herself,"  said  the  jailer. 

"  Please  wait  a  little,"  said  Nekhludoff,  and  the  jailer  re- 
turned to  the  window. 

Maslova  sat  down  again,  dropping  her  eyes  and  firmly 
clasping  her  small  hands. 

Nekhludoff  stooped  over  her,  not  knowing  what  to  do. 

"  You  do  not  believe  me  ?  "  he  said. 

"That  you  mean  to  marry  me?  It  will  never  be.  I'll 
rather  hang  myself.    So  there !  " 

"  Well,  still  I  shall  go  on  serving  you." 

"  That's  your  affair,  only  I  don't  want  anything  from  you. 
I  am  telling  you  the  plain  truth,"  she  said.  "  Oh,  why  did  I 
not  die  then  ?  "  she  added,  and  began  to  cry  piteously. 

Nekhludoff  could  not  speak  ;  her  tears  infected  him. 

She  lifted  her  eyes,  looked  at  him  in  surprise,  and  began  to 
wipe  her  tears  with  her  kerchief. 

The  jailer  came  up  again  and  reminded  them  that  it  was 
time  to  part. 

Maslova  rose. 

"  You  are  excited.  If  it  is  possible,  I  shall  come  again  to- 
morrow ;  you  think  it  over,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

She  gave  him  no  answer  and,  without  looking  up,  fol- 
lowed the  jailer  out  of  the  room. 

"  Well,  lass,  you'll  have  rare  times  now,"  Korableva  said, 
when  Maslova  returned  to  the  cell.  "  Seems  he's  mighty 
sweet  on  you ;  make  the  most  of  it  while  he's  after  you.  He'll 
help  you  out.    Rich  people  can  do  anything." 

"  Yes,  that's  so,"  remarked  the  watchman's  wife,  with  her 
musical  voice.  "  When  a  poor  man  thinks  of  getting  mar- 
ried, there's  many  a  slip  'twixt  the  cup  and  the  lip;  but  a 


1 90  Resurrection 

rich  man  need  only  make  up  his  mind  and  it's  done.  We 
knew  a  toff  like  that  duckie.    What  d'you  think  he  did  ?  " 

'Well,  have  you  spoken  about  my  affairs?"  the  old 
woman  asked. 

But  Maslova  gave  her  fellow-prisoners  no  answer ;  she  lay 
down  on  the  shelf  bedstead,  her  squinting  eyes  fixed  on  a 
corner  of  the  room,  and  lay  there  until  the  evening. 

A  painful  struggle  went  on  in  her  soul.  What  Nekhludoff 
had  told  her  called  up  the  memory  of  that  world  in  which 
she  had  suffered  and  which  she  had  left  without  having 
understood,  hating  it.  She  now  feared  to  wake  from  the 
trance  in  which  she  was  living.  Not  having  arrived  at  any 
conclusion  when  evening  came,  she  again  bought  some 
vodka  and  drank  with  her  companions. 


Resurrection  191 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


VERA   DOUKHOVA. 


"  So  this  is  what  it  means,  this,"  thought  Nekhludoff  as 
he  left  the  prison,  only  now  fully  understanding  his  crime. 
If  he  had  not  tried  to  expiate  his  guilt  he  would  never  have 
found  out  how  great  his  crime  was.  Nor  was  this  all ;  she, 
too,  would  never  have  felt  the  whole  horror  of  what  had 
been  done  to  her.  He  only  now  saw  what  he  had  done  to  the 
soul  of  this  woman ;  only  now  she  saw  and  understood  what 
had  been  done  to  her.  Up  to  this  time  Nekhludoff  had 
played  with  a  sensation  of  self-admiration,  had  admired  his 
own  remorse ;  now  he  was  simply  filled  with  horror.  He 
knew  he  could  not  throw  her  up  now,  and  yet  he  could  not 
imagine  what  would  come  of  their  relations  to  one  another. 

Just  as  he  was  going  out,  a  jailer,  with  a  disagreeable, 
insinuating  countenance,  and  a  cross  and  medals  on  his 
breast,  came  up  and  handed  him  a  note  with  an  air  of  mys- 
tery. 

"  Here  is  a  note  from  a  certain  person,  your  honour,"  he 
said  to  Nekhludoff  as  he  gave  him  the  envelope. 

"  What  person  ?  " 

'  You  will  know  when  you  read  it.  A  political  prisoner. 
I  am  in  that  ward,  so  she  asked  me ;  and  though  it  is  against 

the  rules,  still  feelings  of  humanity "     The  jailer  spoke 

in  an  unnatural  manner. 

Nekhludoff  was  surprised  that  a  jailer  of  the  ward  where 
political  prisoners  were  kept  should  pass  notes  inside  the 
very  prison  walls,  and  almost  within  sight  of  every  one ;  he 
did  not  then  know  that  this  was  both  a  jailer  and  a  spy. 
However,  he  took  the  note  and  read  it  on  coming  out  of  the 
prison. 

The  note  was  written  in  a  bold  hand,  and  ran  as  follows : 
"  Having  heard  that  you  visit  the  prison,  and  are  interested 
in  the  case  of  a  criminal  prisoner,  the  desire  of  seeing  you 
arose  in  me.  Ask  for  a  permission  to  see  me.  I  can  give 
you  a  good  deal  of  information  concerning  your  protegee, 
and  also  our  group. — Yours  gratefully,  Vera  Doukhova." 


192  Resurrection 

Vera  Doukhova  had  been  a  school-teacher  in  an  out-of- 
the-way  village  of  the  Novgorod  Government,  where  Nekh- 
ludoff and  some  friends  of  his  had  once  put  up  while  bear 
hunting.  Nekhludoff  gladly  and  vividly  recalled  those  old 
days,  and  his  acquaintance  with  Doukhova.  It  was  just  be- 
fore Lent,  in  an  isolated  spot,  40  miles  from  the  railway. 
The  hunt  had  been  successful ;  two  bears  had  been  killed ; 
and  the  company  were  having  dinner  before  starting  on  their 
return  journey,  when  the  master  of  the  hut  where  they  were 
putting  up  came  in  to  say  that  the  deacon's  daughter 
wanted  to  speak  to  Prince  Nekhludoff.  ;'  Is  she  pretty  ?  " 
some  one  asked.  "  None  of  that,  please,"  iNekhludoff  said, 
and  rose  with  a  serious  look  on  his  face.  Wiping  his 
mouth,  and  wondering  what  the  deacon's  daughter  might 
want  of  him,  he  went  into  the  host's  private  hut. 

There  he  found  a  girl  with  a  felt  hat  and  a  warm  cloak  on 
— a  sinewy,  ugly  girl ;  only  her  eyes  with  their  arched  brows 
were  beautiful. 

"  Here,  miss,  speak  to  him,"  said  the  old  housewife ; 
"  this  is  the  prince  himself.    I  shall  go  out  meanwhile." 

"  In  what  way  can  I  be  of  service  to  you?"  Nekhludoff 
asked. 

"  I — I — I  see  you  are  throwing  away  your  money  on 
such  nonsense — on  hunting,"  began  the  girl,  in  great  con- 
fusion. "  I  know — I  only  want  one  thing — to  be  of  use  to 
the  people,  and  I  can  do  nothing  because  I  know  nothing." 
Her  eyes  were  so  truthful,  so  kind,  and  her  expression  of 
resoluteness  and  yet  bashfulness  was  so  touching,  that 
Nekhludoff,  as  it  often  happened  to  him,  suddenly  felt  as  if 
he  were  in  her  position,  understood,  and  sympathised. 

"What  can  I  do,  then?" 

"  I  am  a  teacher,  but  should  like  to  follow  a  course  of 
study ;  and  I  am  not  allowed  to  do  so.  That  is,  not  that  I 
am  not  allowed  to ;  they'd  allow  me  to,  but  I  have  not  got 
the  means.  Give  them  to  me,  and  when  I  have  finished  the 
course  I  shall  repay  you.  I  am  thinking  the  rich  kill  bears 
and  give  the  peasants  drink ;  all  this  is  bad.  Why  should 
they  not  do  good  ?  I  only  want  80  roubles.  But  if  you  don't 
wish  to,  never  mind,"  she  added,  gravely. 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  am  very  grateful  to  you  for  this 
opportunity.  ...  I  will  bring  it  at  once,"  said  Nekh- 
ludoff. 

He  went  out  into  the  passage,  and  there  met  one  of  his 


Resurrection  193 

comrades,  who  had  been  overhearing  his  conversation. 
Paying  no  heed  to  his  chaffing,  Nekhludoff  got  the  money 
out  of  his  bag  and  took  it  to  her. 

"  Oh,  please,  do  not  thank  me ;  it  is  I  who  should  thank 
you,"  he  said. 

It  was  pleasant  to  remember  all  this  now ;  pleasant  to  re- 
member that  he  had  nearly  had  a  quarrel  with  an  officer 
who  tried  to  make  an  objectionable  joke  of  it,  and  how  an- 
other of  his  comrades  had  taken  his  part,  which  led  to  a 
closer  friendship  between  them.  How  successful  the  whole 
of  that  hunting  expedition  had  been,  and  how  happy  he 
had  felt  when  returning  to  the  railway  station  that  night. 
The  line  of  sledges,  the  horses  in  tandem,  glide  quickly 
along  the  narrow  road  that  lies  through  the  forest,  now 
between  high  trees,  now  between  low  firs  weighed  down  by 
the  snow,  caked  in  heavy  lumps  on  their  branches.  A  red 
light  flashes  in  the  dark,  some  one  lights  an  aromatic  cigar- 
ette. Joseph,  a  bear  driver,  keeps  running  from  sledge  to 
sledge,  up  to  his  knees  in  snow,  and  while  putting  things  to 
rights  he  speaks  about  the  elk  which  are  now  going  about 
on  the  deep  snow  and  gnawing  the  bark  off  the  aspen  trees, 
of  the  bears  that  are  lying  asleep  in  their  deep  hidden  dens, 
and  his  breath  comes  warm  through  the  opening  in  the 
sledge  cover.  All  this  came  back  to  Nekhludoff's  mind ; 
but,  above  all,  the  joyous  sense  of  health,  strength,  and  free- 
dom from  care  :  the  lungs  breathing  in  the  frosty  air  so  deeply 
that  the  fur  cloak  is  drawn  tightly  on  his  chest,  the  fine 
snow  drops  off  the  low  branches  on  to  his  face,  his  body  is 
warm,  his  face  feels  fresh,  and  his  soul  is  free  from  care, 
self-reproach,  fear,  or  desire.  How  beautiful  it  was.  And 
now,  O  God !  what  torment,  what  trouble ! 

Evidently  Vera  Doukhova  was  a  revolutionist  and  im- 
prisoned as  such.  He  must  see  her,  especially  as  she  prom- 
ised to  advise  him  how  to  lighten  Maslova's  lot. 


1 94  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  L. 

THE  VICE-GOVERNOR  OF  THE  PRISON. 

Awaking  early  the  next  morning,  Nekhludoff  remem- 
bered what  he  had  done  the  day  before,  and  was  seized 
with  fear. 

But  in  spite  of  this  fear,  he  was  more  determined  than 
ever  to  continue  what  he  had  begun. 

Conscious  of  a  sense  of  duty,  he  left  the  house  and  went 
to  see  Maslennikoff  in  order  to  obtain  from  him  a  permis- 
sion to  visit  Maslova  in  prison,  and  also  the  Menshoffs — 
mother  and  son — about  whom  Maslova  had  spoken  to  him. 

Nekhludoff  had  known  this  Maslennikoff  a  long  time; 
they  had  been  in  the  regiment  together.  At  that  time 
Maslennikoff  was  treasurer  to  the  regiment.  He  was  a 
kind-hearted  and  zealous  officer,  knowing  and  wishing  to 
know  nothing  beyond  the  regiment  and  the  Imperial  fam- 
ily. Now  Nekhludoff  saw  him  as  an  administrator,  who 
had  exchanged  the  regiment  for  an  administrative  office  in 
the  government  where  he  lived.  He  was  married  to  a  rich 
and  energetic  woman,  who  had  forced  him  to  exchange  mili- 
tary for  civil  service.  She  laughed  at  him,  and  caressed 
him,  as  if  he  were  her  own  pet  animal.  Nekhludoff  had 
been  to  see  them  once  during  the  winter,  but  the  couple 
were  so  uninteresting  to  him  that  he  had  not  gone  again. 

At  the  sight  of  Nekhludoff  Maslennikoff's  face  beamed 
all  over.  He  had  the  same  fat  red  face,  and  was  as  corpu- 
lent and  as  well  dressed  as  in  his  military  days.  Then,  he 
used  to  be  always  dressed  in  a  well-brushed  uniform,  made 
according  to  the  latest  fashion,  tightly  fitting  his  chest  and 
shoulders ;  now,  it  was  a  civil  service  uniform  he  wore,  and 
that,  too,  tightly  fitted  his  well-fed  body  and  showed  off  his 
broad  chest,  and  was  cut  according  to  the  latest  fashion.  In 
spite  of  the  difference  in  age  (Maslennikoff  was  40),  the  two 
men  were  very  familiar  with  one  another. 

'  Halloo,  old  fellow !    How  good  of  you  to  come !    Let 


Resurrection  195 

us  go  and  see  my  wife.  I  have  just  ten  minutes  to  spare 
before  the  meeting.  My  chief  is  away,  you  know.  I  am  at 
the  head  of  the  Government  administration,"  he  said,  un- 
able to  disguise  his  satisfaction. 

"  I  have  come  on  business." 

"What  is  it?"  said  Maslennikoff,  in  an  anxious  and 
severe  tone,  putting  himself  at  once  on  his  guard. 

"  There  is  a  person,  whom  I  am  very  much  interested 
in,  in  prison  "  (at  the  word  "  prison  "  Maslennikoff's  face 
grew  stern) ;  "  and  I  should  like  to  have  an  interview  in  the 
office,  and  not  in  the  common  visiting-room.  I  have  been 
told  it  depended  on  you." 

"  Certainly,  mon  cher,"  said  Maslennikoff,  putting  both 
hands  on  Nekhludoff's  knees,  as  if  to  tone  down  his 
grandeur;  "but  remember,  I  am  monarch  only  for  an 
hour." 

"  Then  will  you  give  me  an  order  that  will  enable  me 
to  see  her?  " 

"  It's  a  woman?  " 

"  Yes." 

"What  is  she  there  for?" 

'  Poisoning,  but  she  has  been  unjustly  condemned." 

'  Yes,  there  you  have  it,  your  justice  administered  by 
jury,  Us  n'en  font  point  d'autres,"  he  said,  for  some  unknown 
reason,  in  French.  "  I  know  you  do  not  agree  with  me, 
but  it  can't  be  helped,  c'est  mon  opinion  bien  arretee,"  he 
added,  giving  utterance  to  an  opinion  he  had  for  the  last 
twelve  months  been  reading  in  the  retrograde  Conserva- 
tive paper.    "  I  know  you  are  a  Liberal." 

"  I  don't  know  whether  I  am  a  Liberal  or  something 
else,"  Nekhludoff  said,  smiling;  it  always  surprised  him  to 
find  himself  ranked  with  a  political  party  and  called  a 
Liberal,  when  he  maintained  that  a  man  should  be  heard 
before  he  was  judged,  that  before  being  tried  all  men  were 
equal,  that  nobody  at  all  ought  to  be  ill-treated  and  beaten, 
but  especially  those  who  had  not  yet  been  condemned  by 
law.  "  I  don't  know  whether  I  am  a  Liberal  or  not ;  but  I 
do  know  that  however  bad  the  present  way  of  conducting  a 
trial  is,  it  is  better  than  the  old." 

"  And  whom  have  you  for  an  advocate  ?  " 

"  I  have  spoken  to  Fanarin." 

'  Dear  me,  Fanarin !  "  said  Maslennikoff,  with  a  grimace, 
recollecting  how  this  Fanarin  had  examined  him  as  a  wit- 


196  Resurrection 

ness  at  a  trial  the  year  before  and  had,  in  the  politest  man- 
ner, held  him  up  to  ridicule  for  half  an  hour. 

"  I  should  not  advise  you  to  have  anything  to  do  with 
him.    Fanarin  est  un  homme  tare." 

"  I  have  one  more  request  to  make,"  said  Nekhludoff, 
without  answering  him.  "  There's  a  girl  whom  I  knew  long 
ago,  a  teacher ;  she  is  a  very  pitiable  little  thing,  and  is  now 
also  imprisoned,  and  would  like  to  see  me.  Could  you  give 
me  a  permission  to  visit  her?  " 

Maslennikofr  bent  his  head  on  one  side  and  considered. 

"  She's  a  political  one?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have  been  told  so." 

"  Well,  you  see,  only  relatives  get  permission  to  visit 
political  prisoners.  Still,  I'll  give  you  an  open  order. 
Je  sais  que  vous  n'abuserez  pas.  What's  the  name  of  your 
protegee ?  Doukhova?  Elleest  jolie?  " 

"  Hideuse." 

Maslennikoff  shook  his  head  disapprovingly,  went  up 
to  the  table,  and  wrote  on  a  sheet  of  paper,  with  a  printed 
heading :  "  The  bearer,  Prince  Dmitri  Ivanovitch  Nekh- 
ludoff, is  to  be  allowed  to  interview  in  the  prison  office  the 
meschdnka  Maslova,  and  also  the  medical  assistant,  Dou- 
khova," and  he  finished  with  an  elaborate  flourish. 

"  Now  you'll  be  able  to  see  what  order  we  have  got  there. 
And  it  is  very  difficult  to  keep  order,  it  is  so  crowded,  es- 
pecially with  people  condemned  to  exile ;  but  I  watch 
strictly,  and  love  the  work.  You  will  see  they  are  very 
comfortable  and  contented.  But  one  must  know  how  to 
deal  with  them.  Only  a  few  days  ago  we  had  a  little  trouble 
— insubordination ;  another  would  have  called  it  mutiny, 
and  would  have  made  many  miserable,  but  with  us  it  all 
passed  quietly.  We  must  have  solicitude  on  one  hand,  firm- 
ness and  power  on  the  other,"  and  he  clenched  the  fat, 
white,  turquoise-ringed  fist,  which  issued  out  of  the  starched 
cuff  of  his  shirt  sleeve,  fastened  with  a  gold  stud.  "  Solici- 
tude and  firm  power." 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  Nekhludoff.  "  I 
went  there  twice,  and  felt  very  much  depressed." 

"  Do  you  know,  you  ought  to  get  acquainted  with  the 
Countess  Passek,"  continued  Maslennikoff,  growing  talka- 
tive. "  She  has  given  herself  up  entirely  to  this  sort  of 
work.  Elle  fait  beaucoup  de  bien.  Thanks  to  her — and, 
perhaps  I  may  add  without  false  modesty,  to  me — every- 


Resurrection 


197 


thing  has  been  changed,  changed  in  such  a  way  that  the 
former  horrors  no  longer  exist,  and  they  are  really  quite 
comfortable  there.  Well,  you'll  see.  There's  Fanarin.  I 
do  not  know  him  personally  ;  besides,  my  social  position 
keeps  our  ways  apart ;  but  he  is  positively  a  bad  man,  and 
besides,  he  takes  the  liberty  of  saying  such  things  in  the 
court — such  things  !  " 

'  Well,  thank  you,"  Nekhludoff  said,  taking  the  paper, 
and  without  listening  further  he  bade  good-day  to  his  former 
comrade. 

"  And  won't  you  go  in  to  see  my  wife  ?  " 
'  No,  pray  excuse  me ;  I  have  no  time  now." 
"  Dear  me,  why  she  will  never  forgive  me,"  said  Mas- 
lennikoff,  accompanying  his  old  acquaintance  down  to  the 
first  landing,  as  he  was  in  the  habit  of  doing  to  persons  of 
not  the  greatest,  but  the  second  greatest  importance,  with 
whom  he  classed  Nekhludoff ;  "  now  do  go  in,  if  only  for  a 
moment." 

But  Nekhludoff  remained  firm  ;  and  while  the  footman 
and  the  door-keeper  rushed  to  give  him  his  stick  and  over- 
coat, and  opened  the  door,  outside  of  which  there  stood  a 
policeman,  Nekhludoff  repeated  that  he  really  could  not 
come  in. 

'  Well,  then ;  on  Thursday,  please.  It  is  her  '  at-homeS 
I  will  tell  her  you  will  come,"  shouted  Maslennikoff  from 
the  stairs. 


198 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER  LI. 

THE   CELLS. 

Nekhludoff  drove  that  day  straight  from  Maslennikoff's 
to  the  prison,  and  went  to  the  inspector's  lodging,  which  he 
now  knew.  He  was  again  struck  by  the  sounds  of  the  same 
piano  of  inferior  quality ;  but  this  time  it  was  not  a  rhap- 
sody that  was  being  played,  but  exercises  by  Clementi,  again 
with  the  same  vigour,  distinctness,  and  quickness.  The  ser- 
vant with  the  bandaged  eye  said  the  inspector  was  in,  and 
showed  Nekhludoff  to  a  small  drawing-room,  in  which  there 
stood  a  sofa  and,  in  front  of  it,  a  table,  with  a  large  lamp, 
which  stood  on  a  piece  of  crochet  work,  and  the  paper  shade 
of  which  was  burnt  on  one  side.  The  chief  inspector  en- 
tered, with  his  usual  sad  and  weary  look. 

"  Take  a  seat,  please.  What  is  it  you  want  ?  "  he  said, 
buttoning  up  the  middle  button  of  his  uniform. 

"  I  have  just  been  to  the  vice-governor's,  and  got  this 
order  from  him.   I  should  like  to  see  the  prisoner  Maslova." 

"  Markova  ? "  asked  the  inspector,  unable  to  hear  dis- 
tinctly because  of  the  music. 

"  Maslova !  " 

"  Well,  yes."  The  inspector  got  up  and  went  to  the  door 
whence  proceeded  dementi's  roulades. 

"  Mary,  can't  you  stop  just  a  minute?  "  he  said,  in  a  voice 
that  showed  that  this  music  was  the  bane  of  his  life.  "  One 
can't  hear  a  word." 

The  piano  was  silent,  but  one  could  hear  the  sound  of 
reluctant  steps,  and  some  one  looked  in  at  the  door. 

The  inspector  seemed  to  feel  eased  by  the  interval  of  si- 
lence, lit  a  thick  cigarette  of  weak  tobacco,  and  offered  one 
to  Nekhludoff. 

Nekhludoff  refused. 

"  What  I  want  is  to  see  Maslova." 

"  Oh,  yes,  that  can  be  managed.  Now,  then,  what  do  you 
want?  "  he  said,  addressing  a  little  girl  of  five  or  six,  who 
came  into  the  room  and  walked  up  to  her  father  with  her 
head  turned  towards  Nekhludoff,  and  her  eyes  fixed  on  him. 


Resurrection  199 

"  There,  now,  you'll  fall  down,"  said  the  inspector,  smil- 
ing, as  the  little  girl  ran  up  to  him,  and,  not  looking  where 
she  was  going,  caught  her  foot  in  a  little  rug. 

"  Well,  then,  if  I  may,  I  shall  go." 

"  It's  not  very  convenient  to  see  Maslova  to-day,"  said  the 
inspector. 

"How's  that?" 

"  Well,  you  know,  it's  all  your  own  fault,"  said  the  in- 
spector, with  a  slight  smile.  "  Prince,  give  her  no  money 
into  her  hands.  If  you  like,  give  it  me.  I  will  keep  it  for 
her.  You  see,  you  gave  her  some  money  yesterday ;  she  got 
some  spirits  (it's  an  evil  we  cannot  manage  to  root  out), 
and  to-day  she  is  quite  tipsy,  even  violent." 

"Can  this  be  true?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  it  is.  I  have  even  been  obliged  to  have  recourse 
to  severe  measures,  and  to  put  her  into  a  separate  cell.  She  is 
a  quiet  woman  in  an  ordinary  way.  But  please  do  not  give 
her  any  money.    These  people  are  so " 

What  had  happened  the  day  before  came  vividly  back  to 
Nekhludoff's  mind,  and  again  he  was  seized  with  fear. 

"  And  Doukhova,  a  political  prisoner ;  might  I  see  her  ?  ' 

"  Yes,  if  you  like,"  said  the  inspector.  He  embraced  the 
little  girl,  who  was  still  looking  at  Nekhludoff,  got  up,  and, 
tenderly  motioning  her  aside,  went  into  the  ante-room. 
Hardly  had  he  got  into  the  overcoat  which  the  maid  helped 
him  to  put  on,  and  before  he  had  reached  the  door,  the  dis- 
tinct sounds  of  dementi's  roulades  again  began. 

"  She  entered  the  Conservatoire,  but  there  is  such  disorder 
there.  She  has  a  great  gift,"  said  the  inspector,  as  they 
went  down  the  stairs.    "  She  means  to  play  at  concerts." 

The  inspector  and  Nekhludoff  arrived  at  the  prison.  The 
gates  were  instantly  opened  as  they  appeared.  The  jailers, 
with  their  fingers  lifted  to  their  caps,  followed  the  inspector 
with  their  eyes.  Four  men,  with  their  heads  half  shaved, 
who  were  carrying  tubs  filled  with  something,  cringed  when 
they  saw  the  inspector.  One  of  them  frowned  angrily,  his 
black  eyes  glaring. 

"  Of  course  a  talent  like  that  must  be  developed ;  it  would 
not  do  to  bury  it,  but  in  a  small  lodging,  you  know,  it  is 
rather  hard."    The  inspector  went  on  with  the  conversation, 
taking  no  notice  of  the  prisoners. 
"  Who  is  it  you  want  to  see  ?  " 

"  Doukhova." 


200  Resurrection 

"  Oh,  she's  in  the  tower.    You'll  have  to  wait  a  little,"  he 
said. 

"  Might   I   not   meanwhile   see   the   prisoners    Menshoff, 
mother  and  son,  who  are  accused  of  incendiarism  ? ' 
"  Oh,  yes.    Cell  No.  21.    Yes,  they  can  be  sent  for." 
"  But  might  I  not  see  Menshoff  in  his  cell  ?  " 
"  Oh,  you'll  find  the  waiting-room  more  pleasant." 
"  No.    I  should  prefer  the  cell.    It  is  more  interesting.'' 
"  Well,  you  have  found  something  to  be  interested  in !" 
Here  the  assistant,  a  smartly-dressed  officer,  entered  the 
side  door. 

"  Here,  see  the  Prince  into  Menshoff 's  cell,  No.  21,"  said 
the  inspector  to  his  assistant,  "  and  then  take  him  to  the 

office.    And  I'll  go  and  call What's  her  name?  " 

"  Vera  Doukhova." 

The  inspector's  assistant  was  young,  with  dyed  mous- 
taches, and  diffusing  the  smell  of  eau-de-cologne.  '  This 
way,  please,"  he  said  to  Nekhludoff,  with  a  pleasant  smile. 
"  Our  establishment  interests  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it  does  interest  me ;  and,  besides,  I  look  upon  it  as  a 
duty  to  help  a  man  who  I  heard  was  confined  here,  though 
innocent." 

The  assistant  shrugged  his  shoulders. 
"  Yes,  that  may  happen,"  he  said  quietly,  politely  stepping 
aside   to   let   the   visitor   enter  the   stinking   corridor   first. 
"  But  it  also  happens  that  they  lie.    Here  we  are." 

The  doors  of  the  cells  were  open,  and  some  of  the  pris- 
oners were  in  the  corridor.  The  assistant  nodded  slightly  to 
the  jailers,  and  cast  a  side  glance  at  the  prisoners,  who,  keep- 
ing close  to  the  wall,  crept  back  to  their  cells,  or  stood  like 
soldiers,  with  their  arms  at  their  sides,  following  the  official 
with  their  eyes.  After  passing  through  one  corridor,  the 
assistant  showed  Nekhludoff  into  another  to  the  left,  sepa,- 
rated  from  the  first  by  an  iron  door. 

This  corridor  was  darker,  and  smelt  even  worse  than  tne 
first.  The  corridor  had  doors  on  both  sides,  with  little  holes 
in  them  about  an  inch  in  diameter.  There  was  only  an  old 
jailer,  with  an  unpleasant  face,  in  this  corridor. 

"Where  is  Menshoff?"  asked  the  inspector's  assistant. 
"  The  eighth  cell  to  the  left." 

"  And  these?    Are  thev  occupied?  "  asked  Nekhludoff. 
"  Yes,  all  but  one." 


Resurrection  201 


CHAPTER  LII. 


NO.    21. 


"  May  I  look  in?  "  asked  Nekhludoff. 

"  Oh,  certainly,"  answered  the  assistant,  smiling,  and 
turned  to  the  jailer  with  some  question.  Nekhludoff 
looked  into  one  of  the  little  holes,  and  saw  a  tall  young  man 
pacing  up  and  down  the  cell.  When  the  man  heard  some  one 
at  the  door  he  looked  up  with  a  frown,  but  continued  walk- 
ing up  and  down. 

Nekhludoff  looked  into  another  hole.  His  eye  met 
another  large  eye  looking  out  of  the  hole  at  him,  and  he 
quickly  stepped  aside.  In  the  third  cell  he  saw  a  very  small 
man  asleep  on  the  bed,  covered,  head  and  all,  with  his  prison 
cloak.  In  the  fourth  a  broad-faced  man  was  sitting  with 
his  elbows  on  his  knees  and  his  head  low  down.  At  the 
sound  of  footsteps  this  man  raised  his  head  and  looked  up. 
His  face,  especially  his  large  eyes,  bore  the  expression  of 
hopeless  dejection.  One  could  see  that  it  did  not  even 
interest  him  to  know  who  was  looking  into  his  cell.  Who- 
ever it  might  be,  he  evidently  hoped  for  nothing  good  from 
him.  Nekhludoff  was  seized  with  dread,  and  went  to 
Menshoff's  cell,  No.  21,  without  stopping  to  look  through 
any  more  holes.  The  jailer  unlocked  the  door  and  opened  it. 
A  young  man,  with  long  neck,  well-developed  muscles,  a 
small  head,  and  kind,  round  eyes,  stood  by  the  bed,  hastily 
putting  on  his  cloak,  and  looking  at  the  newcomers  with 
a  frightened  face.  Nekhludoff  was  specially  struck  by  the 
kind,  round  eyes  that  were  throwing  frightened  and  inquir- 
ing glances  in  turns  at  him,  at  the  jailer,  and  at  the  assistant, 
and  back  again. 

'  Here's  a  gentleman  wants  to  inquire  into  your  affair." 

"  Thank  you  kindly." 

'  Yes,  I  was  told  about  you,"  Nekhludoff  said,  going 
through  the  cell  up  to  the  dirty  grated  window,  "  and  I 
should  like  to'  hear  all  about  it  from  yourself." 

Menshoff  also  came  up  to  the  window,  and  at  once  started 


202  Resurrection 

telling  his  story,  at  first  looking  shyly  at  the  inspector's  as- 
sistant, but  growing  gradually  bolder.  When  the  assistant 
left  the  cell  and  went  into  the  corridor  to  give  some  order 
the  man  grew  quite  bold.  The  story  was  told  with  the  ac- 
cent and  in  the  manner  common  to  a  most  ordinary  good 
peasant  lad.  To  hear  it  told  by  a  prisoner  dressed  in  this 
degrading  clothing,  and  inside  a  prison,  seemed  very 
strange  to  Nekhludofr.  Nekhludoff  listened,  and  at  the 
same  time  kept  looking  around  him — at  the  low  bedstead 
with  its  straw  mattress,  the  window  and  the  dirty,  damp 
wall,  and  the  piteous  face  and  form  of  this  unfortunate,  dis- 
figured peasant  in  his  prison  cloak  and  shoes,  and  he  felt 
sadder  and  sadder,  and  would  have  liked  not  to  believe  what 
this  good-natured  fellow  was  saying.  It  seemed  too  dread- 
ful to  think  that  men  could  do  such  a  thing  as  to  take  a 
man,  dress  him  in  convict  clothes,  and  put  him  in  this  hor- 
rible place  without  any  reason  only  because  he  himself  had 
been  injured.  And  yet  the  thought  that  this  seemingly 
true  story,  told  with  such  a  good-natured  expression  on  the 
face,  might  be  an  invention  and  a  lie  was  still  more  dreadful. 
This  was  the  story :  The  village  public-house  keeper  had 
enticed  the  young  fellow's  wife.  He  tried  to  get  justice  by 
all  sorts  of  means.  But  everywhere  the  public-house  keeper 
managed  to  bribe  the  officials,  and  was  acquitted.  Once 
he  took  his  wife  back  by  force,  but  she  ran  away  next  day. 
Then  he  came  to  demand  her  back,  but,  though  he  saw  her 
when  he  came  in,  the  public-house  keeper  told  him  she  was 
not  there,  and  ordered  him  to  go  away.  He  would  not  go, 
so  the  public-house  keeper  and  his  servant  beat  him  so  that 
they  drew  blood.  The  next  day  a  fire  broke  out  in  the 
public-house,  and  the  young  man  and  his  mother  were  ac- 
cused of  having  set  the  house  on  fire.  He  had  not  set  it  on 
fire,  but  was  visiting  a  friend  at  the  time. 

"  And  it  is  true  that  you  did  not  set  it  on  fire  ?  " 

"  It  never  entered  my  head  to  do  it,  sir.  It  must  be  my 
enemy  that  did  it  himself.  They  say  he  had  only  just  in- 
sured it.  Then  they  said  it  was  mother  and  I  that  did  it, 
and  that  we  had  threatened  him.  It  is  true  I  once  did  go  for 
him,  my  heart  couldn't  stand  it  any  longer." 

"  Can  this  be  true  ?  " 

"  God  is  my  witness  it  is  true.     Oh,  sir,  be  so  good " 

and  Nekhludoff  had  some  difficulty  to  prevent  him  from 
bowing  down  to  the  ground.     "  You  see  I  am  perishing 


Resurrection 


203 


without  any  reason."  His  face  quivered  and  he  turned  up 
the  sleeve  of  his  cloak  and  began  to  cry,  wiping  the  tears 
with  the  sleeve  of  his  dirty  shirt. 

"  Are  you  ready  ?  "  asked  the  assistant. 
'  Yes.  Well,  cheer  up.  We  will  consult  a  good  lawyer, 
and  will  do  what  we  can,"  said  Nekhludoff,  and  went  out. 
Menshoff  stood  close  to  the  door,  so  that  the  jailer  knocked 
him  in  shutting  it,  and  while  the  jailer  was  locking  it  he  re- 
mained looking  out  through  the  little  hole. 


204  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  LIII. 

VICTIMS    OF    GOVERNMENT. 

Passing  back  along  the  broad  corridor  (it  was  dinner 
time,  and  the  cell  doors  were  open),  among  the  men  dressed 
in  their  light  yellow  cloaks,  short,  wide  trousers,  and  prison 
shoes,  who  were  looking  eagerly  at  him,  Nekhludoff  felt  a 
strange  mixture  of  sympathy  for  them,  and  horror  and  per- 
plexity at  the  conduct  of  those  who  put  and  kept  them  here, 
and,  besides,  he  felt,  he  knew  not  why,  ashamed  of  himself 
calmly  examining  it  all. 

In  one  of  the  corridors,  some  one  ran,  clattering  with  his 
shoes,  in  at  the  door  of  a  cell.  Several  men  came  out  from 
here,  and  stood  in  Nekhludoff's  way,  bowing  to  him. 

'  Please,  your  honour  (we  don't  know  what  to  call  you), 
get  our  affair  settled  somehow." 

'  I  am  not  an  official.    I  know  nothing  about  it." 

'  Well,  anyhow,  you  come  from  outside  ;  tell  somebody — 
one  of  the  authorities,  if  need  be,"  said  an  indignant  voice. 
"  Show  some  pity  on  us,  as  a  human  being.  Here,  we  are 
suffering  the  second  month  for  nothing." 

"  What  do  you  mean?  Why?  "  said  Nekhludoff. 

"Why?  We  ourselves  don't  know  why,  but  are  sitting 
here  the  second  month." 

'  Yes,  it's  quite  true,  and  it  is  owing  to  an  accident,"  said 
the  inspector.  "  These  people  were  taken  up  because  they 
had  no  passports,  and  ought  to  have  been  sent  back  to 
their  native  government ;  but  the  prison  there  is  burnt,  and 
the  local  authorities  have  written,  asking  us  not  to  send 
them  on.  So  we  have  sent  all  the  other  passportless  people 
to  their  different  governments,  but  are  keeping  these." 

"What!  For  no  other  reason  than  that?"  Nekhludoff 
exclaimed,  stopping  at  the  door. 

A  "crowd  of  about  forty  men,  all  dressed  in  prison  clothes, 
surrounded  him  and  the  assistant,  and  several  began  talk- 
ing at  once.    The  assistant  stopped  them. 

"  Let  some  one  of  you  speak." 


Resurrection  205 

A  tall,  good-looking  peasant,  a  stone-mason,  of  about 
fifty,  stepped  out  from  the  rest.  He  told  Nekhludoff  that 
all  of  them  had  been  ordered  back  to  their  homes  and  were 
now  being  kept  in  prison  because  they  had  no  passports,  yet 
they  had  passports  which  were  only  a  fortnight  overdue. 
The  same  thing  had  happened  every  year ;  they  had  many 
times  omitted  to  renew  their  passports  till  they  were  over- 
due, and  nobody  had  ever  said  anything ;  but  this  year  they 
had  been  taken  up  and  were  being  kept  in  prison  the  second 
month,  as  if  they  were  criminals. 

'  We  are  all  masons,  and  belong  to  the  same  artel.  We 
are  told  that  the  prison  in  our  government  is  burnt,  but  this 
is  not  our  fault.     Do  help  us." 

Nekhludoff  listened,  but  hardly  understood  what  the 
good-looking  old  man  was  saying,  because  his  attention 
was  riveted  to  a  large,  dark-grey,  many-legged  louse  that 
was  creeping  along  the  good-looking  man's  cheek. 

'How's  that?  Is  it  possible  for  such  a  reason?"  Nekh- 
ludoff said,  turning  to  the  assistant. 

'  Yes,  they  should  have  been  sent  off  and  taken  back  to 
their  homes,"  calmly  said  the  assistant,  "  but  they  seem  to 
have  been  forgotten  or  something." 

Before  the  assistant  had  finished,  a  small,  nervous  man, 
also  in  prison  dress,  came  out  of  the  crowd,  and,  strangely 
contorting  his  mouth,  began  to  say  that  they  were  being 
ill-used  for  nothing. 

"  Worse  than  dogs,"  he  began. 

'  Now,  now ;  not  too  much  of  this.  Hold  your  tongue, 
or  you  know " 

'What  do  I  know?"  screamed  the  little  man,  desper- 
ately.    "  What  is  our  crime  ?  " 

"  Silence !  "  shouted  the  assistant,  and  the  little  man  was 
silent. 

"  But  what  is  the  meaning  of  all  this  ? ':  Nekhludoff 
thought  to  himself  as  he  came  out  of  the  cell,  while  a  hun- 
dred eyes  were  fixed  upon  him  through  the  openings  of  the 
cell  doors  and  from  the  prisoners  that  met  him,  making  him 
feel  as  if  he  were  running  the  gauntlet. 

''  Is  it  really  possible  that  perfectly  innocent  people  are 
kept  here?"  Nekhludoff  uttered  when  they  left  the  cor- 
ridor. 

'  What  would  you  have  us  do  ?  They  lie  so.  To  hear 
them  talk  they  are  all  of  them  innocent,"  said  the  inspector's 


206  Resurrection 

assistant.  :'  But  it  does  happen  that  some  are  really  im- 
prisoned for  nothing." 

"  Well,  these  have  done  nothing." 

"  Yes,  we  must  admit  it.  Still,  the  people  are  fearfully 
spoilt.  There  are  such  types — desperate  fellows,  with 
whom  one  has  to  look  sharp.  To-day  two  of  that  sort  had 
to  be  punished." 

"Punished?  How?" 

"  Flogged  with  a  birch-rod,  by  order." 

"  But  corporal  punishment  is  abolished." 

"  Not  for  such  as  are  deprived  of  their  rights.  They  are 
still  liable  to  it." 

Nekhludoff  thought  of  what  he  had  seen  the  day  before 
while  waiting  in  the  hall,  and  now  understood  that  the  pun- 
ishment was  then  being  inflicted,  and  the  mixed  feeling  of 
curiosity,  depression,  perplexity,  and  moral  nausea,  that 
grew  into  physical  sickness,  took  hold  of  him  more  strongly 
than  ever  before. 

Without  listening  to  the  inspector's  assistant,  or  looking 
round,  he  hurriedly  left  the  corridor,  and  went  to  the  of- 
fice. The  inspector  was  in  the  office,  occupied  with  other 
business,  and  had  forgotten  to  send  for  Doukhova.  He 
only  remembered  his  promise  to  have  her  called  when 
Nekhludoff  entered  the  office. 

"  Sit  down,  please.  I'll  send  for  her  at  once,"  said  the 
inspector. 


Resurrection  207 


CHAPTER  LIV. 

PRISONERS  AND  FRIENDS. 

The  office  consisted  of  two  rooms.  The  first  room,  with 
a  large,  dilapidated  stove  and  two  dirty  windows,  had  a 
black  measure  for  measuring  the  prisoners  in  one  corner, 
and  in  another  corner  hung  a  large  image  of  Christ,  as  is 
usual  in  places  where  they  torture  people.  In  this  room 
stood  several  jailers.  In  the  next  room  sat  about  twenty 
persons,  men  and  women  in  groups  and  in  pairs,  talking  in 
low  voices.     There  was  a  writing  table  by  the  window. 

The  inspector  sat  down  by  the  table,  and  offered  Nekh- 
ludoff  a  chair  beside  him.  Nekhludoff  sat  down,  and  looked 
at  the  people  in  the  room. 

The  first  who  drew  his  attention  was  a  young  man  with  a 
pleasant  face,  dressed  in  a  short  jacket,  standing  in  front  of 
a  middle-aged  woman  with  dark  eyebrows,  and  he  was 
eagerly  telling  her  something  and  gesticulating  with  his 
hands.  Beside  them  sat  an  old  man,  with  blue  spectacles, 
holding  the  hand  of  a  young  woman  in  prisoner's  clothes, 
who  was  telling  him  something.  A  schoolboy,  with  a  fixed, 
frightened  look  on  his  face,  was  gazing  at  the  old  man.  In 
one  corner  sat  a  pair  of  lovers.  She  was  quite  young  and 
pretty,  and  had  short,  fair  hair,  looked  energetic,  and  was 
elegantly  dressed ;  he  had  fine  features,  wavy  hair,  and 
wore  a  rubber  jacket.  They  sat  in  their  corner  and  seemed 
stupefied  with  love.  Nearest  to  the  table  sat  a  grey-haired 
woman  dressed  in  black,  evidently  the  mother  of  a  young, 
consumptive-looking  fellow,  in  the  same  kind  of  jacket ;  her 
head  lay  on  his  shoulder.  She  was  trying  to  say  something, 
but  the  tears  prevented  her  from  speaking ;  she  began  sev- 
eral times,  but  had  to  stop.  The  young  man  held  a  paper 
in  his  hand,  and,  apparently  not  knowing  what  to  do,  kept 
folding  and  pressing  it  with  an  angry  look  on  his  face. 

Beside  them  was  a  short-haired,  stout,  rosy  girl,  with 
very  prominent  eyes,  dressed  in  a  grey  dress  and  a  cape; 
she  sat  beside  the  weeping  mother,  tenderly  stroking  her. 


208  Resurrection 

Everything  about  this  girl  was  beautiful ;  her  large,  white 
hands,  her  short,  wavy  hair,  her  firm  nose  and  lips,  but  the 
chief  charm  of  her  face  lay  in  her  kind,  truthful  hazel  eyes. 
The  beautiful  eyes  turned  away  from  the  mother  for  a 
moment  when  Nekhludoff  came  in,  and  met  his  look.  But 
she  turned  back  at  once  and  said  something  to  the  mother. 

Not  far  from  the  lovers  a  dark,  dishevelled  man,  with  a 
gloomy  face,  sat  angrily  talking  to  a  beardless  visitor,  who 
looked  as  if  he  belonged  to  the  Scoptsy  sect. 

At  the  very  door  stood  a  young  man  in  a  rubber  jacket, 
who  seemed  more  concerned  about  the  impression  he  pro- 
duced on  the  onlooker  than  about  what  he  was  saying. 

Nekhludoff,  sitting  by  the  inspector's  side,  looked  round1 
with  strained  curiosity.  A  little  boy  with  closely-cropped 
hair  came  up  to  him  and  addressed  him  in  a  thin  little  voice. 

"  And  whom  are  you  waiting  for?  " 

Nekhludoff  was  surprised  at  the  question,  but  looking  at 
the  boy,  and  seeing  the  serious  little  face  with  its  bright,  at- 
tentive eyes  fixed  on  him,  answered  him  seriously  that  he 
was  waiting  for  a  woman  of  his  acquaintance. 

"  Is  she,  then,  your  sister?  "  the  boy  asked. 

"  No,  not  my  sister,"  Nekhludoff  answered  in  surprise. 

"  And  with  whom  are  you  here?  "  he  inquired  of  the  boy. 

'  I  ?  With  mamma ;  she  is  a  political  one,"  he  replied. 

"  Mary  Pavlovna,  take  Kolia !  "  said  the  inspector,  evi- 
dently considering  Nekhludoff  s  conversation  with  the  boy 
illegal. 

Mary  Pavlovna,  the  beautiful  girl  who  had  attracted 
Nekhludoff' s  attention,  rose  tall  and  erect,  and  with  firm, 
almost  manly  steps,  approached  Nekhludoff  and  the  boy. 

'  What  is  he  asking  you  ?  Who  you  are  ?  "  she  inquired 
with  a  slight  smile,  and  looking  straight  into  his  face  with  a 
trustful  look  in  her  kind,  prominent  eyes,  and  as  simply  as 
if  there  could  be  no  doubt  whatever  that  she  was  and  must 
be  on  sisterly  terms  with  everybody. 

:'  He  likes  to  know  everything,"  she  said,  looking  at  the 
boy  With  so  sweet  and  kind  a  smile  that  both  the  boy  and 
Nekhludoff  were  obliged  to  smile  back. 

"  He  was  asking  me  whom  I  have  come  to  see." 

"  Mary  Pavlovna,  it  is  against  the  rules  to  speak  to 
strangers.   You  know  it  is,"  said  the  inspector 

"  All  right,  all  right,"  she  said,  and  went  back  to  the  con- 
sumptive lad's  mother,  holding  Kolia's  little  hand  in  her 


Resurrection  209 

large,   white  one,   while  he  continued   gazing  up   into  her 
face. 

"  Whose  is  this  little  boy  ?  "  NekhludofT  asked  of  the  in- 
spector. 

;*  His  mother  is  a  political  prisoner,  and  he  was  born  in 
prison,"  said  the  inspector,  in  a  pleased  tone,  as  if  glad  to 
point  out  how  exceptional  his  establishment  was. 

"  Is  it  possible?  " 
'  Yes,  and  now  he  is  going  to  Siberia  with  her." 

"  And  that  young  girl  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  answer  your  question,"  said  the  inspector, 
shrugging  his  shoulders.    "  Besides,  here  is  Doukhova." 


2 1  o  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  LV. 

VERA   DOUKHOVA    EXPLAINS. 

Through  a  door,  at  the  back  of  the  room,  entered,  with 
a  wriggling  gait,  the  thin,  yellow  Vera  Doukhova,  with  her 
large,  kind  eyes. 

Thanks  for  having  come,"  she   said,  pressing  Nekh- 
ludoff's  hand.     "  Do  you  remember  me?   Let  us  sit  down." 

"  I  did  not  expect  to  see  you  like  this." 

"  Oh,  I  am  very  happy.  It  is  so  delightful,  so  delightful, 
that  I  desire  nothing  better,"  said  Vera  Doukhova,  with  the 
usual  expression  of  fright  in  the  large,  kind,  round  eyes  fixed 
on  Nekhludoff,  and  twisting  the  terribly  thin,  sinewy  neck, 
surrounded  by  the  shabby,  crumpled,  dirty  collar  of  her 
bodice. 

Nekhludoff  asked  her  how  she  came  to  be  in  prison. 

In  answer^  she  began  relating  all  about  her  affairs  with 
great  animation.  Her  speech  was  intermingled  with  a  great 
many  long  words,  such  as  propaganda,  disorganisation, 
social  groups,  sections  and  sub-sections,  about  which  she 
seemed  to  think  everybody  knew,  but  which  Nekhludoff 
had  never  heard  of. 

She  told  him  all  the  secrets  of  the  Nardovolstvo,*  evi- 
dently convinced  that  he  was  pleased  to  hear  them.  Nekh- 
ludoff looked  at  her  miserable  little  neck,  her  thin,  unkempt 
hair,  and  wondered  why  she  had  been  doing  all  these 
strange  things,  and  why  she  was  now  telling  all  this  to 
him.  He  pitied  her,  but  not  as  he  had  pitied  Menshoff,  the 
peasant,  kept  for  no  fault  of  his  own  in  the  stinking  prison. 
She  was  pitiable  because  of  the  confusion  that  filled  her 
mind.  It  was  clear  that  she  considered  herself  a  heroine, 
and  was  ready  to  give  her  life  for  a  cause,  though  she  could 
hardly  have  explained  what  that  cause  was  and  in  what  its 
success  would  lie. 

f  The  business  that  Vera  Doukhova  wanted  to  see  Nekh- 
ludoff about  was  the  following :   A  friend  of  hers,  who  had 
not  even  belonged  to  their  "  sub-group,"  as  she  expressed 
*  Literally,  "People's  Freedom,"  a  revolutionary  movement. 


Resurrection  211 

it,  had  been  arrested  with  her  about  five  months  before,  and 
imprisoned  in  the  Petropavlovsky  fortress  because  some 
prohibited  books  and  papers  (which  she  had  been 
asked  to  keep)  had  been  found  in  her  possession.  Vera 
Doukhova  felt  herself  in  some  measure  to  blame  for  her 
friend's  arrest,  and  implored  Nekhludoff,  who  had  connec- 
tions among  influential  people,  to  do  all  he  could  in  order  to 
set  this  friend  free. 

Besides  this,  Doukhova  asked  him  to  try  and  get  permis- 
sion for  another  friend  of  hers,  Gourkevitch  (who  was  also 
imprisoned  in  the  Petropavlovsky  fortress),  to  see  his 
parents,  and  to  procure  some  scientific  books  which  he  re- 
quired for  his  studies.  Nekhludoff  promised  to  do  what  he 
could  when  he  went  to  Petersburg. 

As  to  her  own  story,  this  is  what  she  said :  Having  fin- 
ished a  course  of  midwifery,  she  became  connected  with  a 
group  of  adherents  to  the  Nardovolstvo,  and  made  up  her 
mind  to  agitate  in  the  revolutionary  movement.  At  first  all 
went  on  smoothly.  She  wrote  proclamations  and  occupied 
herself  with  propaganda  work  in  the  factories ;  then,  an  im- 
portant member  having  been  arrested,  their  papers  were 
seized  and  all  concerned  were  arrested.  :'  I  was  also  ar- 
rested, and  shall  be  exiled.  But  what  does  it  matter?  I  feel 
perfectly  happy."  She  concluded  her  story  with  a  piteous 
smile. 

Nekhludoff  made  some  inquiries  concerning  the  girl  with 
the  prominent  eyes.  Vera  Doukhova  told  him  that  this  girl 
was  the  daughter  of  a  general,  and  had  been  long  attached 
to  the  revolutionary  party,  and  was  arrested  because  she 
had  pleaded  guilty  to  having  shot  a  gendarme.  She  lived  in 
a  house  with  some  conspirators,  where  they  had  a  secret 
printing  press.  One  night,  when  the  police  came  to  search 
this  house,  the  occupiers  resolved  to  defend  themselves,  put 
out  the  light,  and  began  destroying  the  things  that  might 
incriminate  them.  The  police  forced  their  way  in,  and  one 
of  the  conspirators  fired,  and  mortally  wounded  a  gen- 
darme. When  an  inquiry  was  instituted,  this  girl  said  that  it 
was  she  who  had  fired,  although  she  had  never  had  a  re- 
volver in  her  hands,  and  would  not  have  hurt  a  fly.  And 
she  kept  to  it,  and  was  now  condemned  to  penal  servitude 
in  Siberia. 

"  An  altruistic,  fine  character,"  said  Vera  Doukhova,  ap- 
provingly. 


2 1  2  Resurrection 

The  third  business  that  Vera  Doukhova  wanted  to  talk 
about  concerned  Maslova.  She  knew,  as  everybody  does 
know  in  prison,  the  storyof  Maslova's  life  and  his  connection 
with  her,  and  advised  him  to  take  steps  to  get  her  removed 
into  the  political  prisoner's  ward,  or  into  the  hospital  to 
help  to  nurse  the  sick,  of  which  there  were  very  many  at 
that  time,  so  that  extra  nurses  were  needed. 

Nekhludoff  thanked  her  for  the  advice,  and  said  he  would 
try  to  act  upon  it. 


Resurrection  2  1  3 


CHAPTER  LVI. 

NEKHLUDOFF   AND   THE    PRISONERS. 

Their  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the  inspector,  who 
said  that  the  time  was  up,  and  the  prisoners  and  their  friends 
must  part.  Nekhludoff  took  leave  of  Vera  Doukhova  and 
went  to  the  door,  where  he  stopped  to  watch  what  was 
going  on. 

The  inspector's  order  called  forth  only  heightened  anima- 
tion among  the  prisoners  in  the  room,  but  no  one  seemed 
to  think  of  going.  Some  rose  and  continued  to  talk  stand- 
ing, some  went  on  talking  without  rising.  A  few  began 
crying  and  taking  leave  of  each  other.  The  mother  and  her 
consumptive  son  seemed  especially  pathetic.  The  young 
fellow  kept  twisting  his  bit  of  paper  and  his  face  seemed 
angry,  so  great  were  his  efforts  not  to  be  infected  by  his 
mother's  emotion.  The  mother,  hearing  that  it  was  time 
to  part,  put  her  head  on  his  shoulder  and  sobbed  and  sniffed 
aloud. 

The  girl  with  the  prominent  eyes — Nekhludoff  could  not 
help  watching  her — was  standing  opposite  the  sobbing 
mother,  and  was  saying  something  to  her  in  a  soothing 
tone.  The  old  man  with  the  blue  spectacles  stood  holding 
his  daughter's  hand  and  nodding  in  answer  to  what  she 
said.  The  young  lovers  rose,  and,  holding  each  other's 
hands,  looked  silently  into  one  another's  eyes. 

'  These  are  the  only  two  who  are  merry,"  said  a  young 
man  with  a  short  coat  who  stood  by  Nekhludoff's  side,  also 
looking  at  those  who  were  about  to  part,  and  pointed  to 
the  lovers.  Feeling  Nekhludoff's  and  the  young  man's  eyes 
fixed  on  them,  the  lovers — the  young  man  with  the  rubber 
coat  and  the  pretty  girl — stretched  out  their  arms,  and  with 
their  hands  clasped  in  each  other's,  danced  round  and  round 
again.  "  To-night  they  are  going  to  be  married  here  in 
prison,  and  she  will  follow  him  to  Siberia,"  said  the  young 
man. 

"What  is  he?" 


214  Resurrection 

"  A  convict,  condemned  to  penal  servitude.  Let  those  two 
at  least  have  a  little  joy,  or  else  it  is  too  painful,"  the  young 
man  added,  listening  to  the  sobs  of  the  consumptive  lad's 
mother. 

'  Now,  my  good  people !  Please,  please  do  not  oblige  me 
to  have  recourse  to  severe  measures,"  the  inspector  said,  re- 
peating the  same  words  several  times  over.  "  Do,  please," 
he  went  on  in  a  weak,  hesitating  manner.  "  It  is  high  time. 
What  do  you  mean  by  it  ?  This  sort  of  thing  is  quite  impos- 
sible. I  am  now  asking  you  for  the  last  time,"  he  repeated 
wearily,  now  putting  out  his  cigarette  and  then  lighting 
another. 

It  was  evident  that,  artful,  old,  and  common  as  were  the 
devices  enabling  men  to  do  evil  to  others  without  feeling 
responsible  for  it,  the  inspector  could  not  but  feel  conscious 
that  he  was  one  of  those  who  were  guilty  of  causing  the 
sorrow  which  manifested  itself  in  this  room.  And  it  was 
apparent  that  this  troubled  him  sorely.  At  length  the  prison- 
ers and  their  visitors  began  to  go — the  first  out  of  the  inner, 
the  latter  out  of  the  outer  door.  The  man  with  the  rubber 
jacket  passed  out  among  them,  and  the  consumptive  youth 
and  the  dishevelled  man.  Alary  Pavlovna  went  out  with  the 
boy  born  in  prison. 

The  visitors  went  out  too.  The  old  man  with  the  blue 
spectacles,  stepping  heavily ,  went  out,  followed  by  Nekhlu- 
doff. 

'  Yes,  a  strange  state  of  things  this,"  said  the  talkative 
young  man,  as  if  continuing  an  interrupted  conversation, 
as  he  descended  the  stairs  side  by  side  with  Nekhludoff. 
'  Yet  we  have  reason  to  be  grateful  to  the  inspector  who 
does  not  keep  strictly  to  the  rules,  kind-hearted  fellow.  If 
they  can  get  a  talk  it  does  relieve  their  hearts  a  bit,  after 
all !  " 

While  talking  to  the  young  man,  who  introduced  him- 
self as  Medinzeff,  Nekhludoff  reached  the  hall.  There  the 
inspector  came  up  to  them  with  weary  step. 

'  If  you  wish  to  see  Maslova,"  he  said,  apparently  desir- 
ing to  be  polite  to  Nekhludoff,  "  please  come  to-morrow." 

1  Very  well,"  answered  Nekhludoff,  and  hurried  away, 
experiencing  more  than  ever  that  sensation  of  moral  nausea 
which  he  always  felt  on  entering  the  prison. 

The  sufferings  of  the  evidently  innocent  Menshoff  seemed 
terrible,  and  not  so  much  his  physical  suffering  as  the  per- 


Resurrection  2  I  5 

plexity,  the  distrust  in  the  good  and  in  God  which  he  must 
feel,  seeing  the  cruelty  of  the  people  who  tormented  him 
without  any  reason. 

Terrible  were  the  disgrace  and  sufferings  cast  on  these 
hundreds  of  guiltless  people  simply  because  something  was 
not  written  on  paper  as  it  should  have  been.  Terrible  were 
the  brutalised  jailers,  whose  occupation  is  to  torment  their 
brothers,  and  who  were  certain  that  they  were  fulfilling  an 
important  and  useful  duty ;  but  most  terrible  of  all  seemed 
this  sickly,  elderly,  kind-hearted  inspector,  who  was  obliged 
to  part  mother  and  son,  father  and  daughter,  who  were  just 
the  same  sort  of  people  as  he  and  his  own  children. 

"What  is  it  all  for?"  Nekhludofr  asked  himself,  and 
could  not  find  an  answer. 


2 1 6  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  LVIL 

THE   VICE-GOVERNOR'S    "  AT-HOME." 

The  next  day  Nekhludoff  went  to  see  the  advocate,  and 
spoke  to  him  about  the  Menshoffs'  case,  begging  him  to 
undertake  their  defence.  The  advocate  promised  to  look 
into  the  case,  and  if  it  turned  out  to  be  as  Nekhludoff  said 
he  would  in  all  probability  undertake  the  defence  free  of 
charge.  Then  Nekhludoff  told  him  of  the  130  men  who 
were  kept  in  prison  owing  to  a  mistake.  "  On  whom  did  it 
depend?  Whose  fault  was  it?  " 

The  advocate  was  silent  for  a  moment,  evidently  anxious 
to  give  a  correct  reply. 

"  Whose  fault  is  it?  No  one's,"  he  said,  decidedly.  "Ask 
the  Procureur,  he'll  say  it  is  the  Governor's ;  ask  the  Gov- 
ernor, he'll  say  it  is  the  Procureur 's  fault.  No  one  is  in 
fault." 

"  I  am  just  going  to  see  the  Vice-Governor.  I  shall  tell 
him." 

"  Oh,  that's  quite  useless,"  said  the  advocate,  with  a 
smile.  '  He  is  such  a — he  is  not  a  relation  or  friend  of 
yours  ? — such  a  blockhead,  if  I  may  say  so,  and  yet  a  crafty 
animal  at  the  same  time." 

Nekhludoff  remembered  what  Maslennikoff  had  said 
about  the  advocate,  and  did  not  answer,  but  took  leave  and 
went  on  to  Maslennikoff's.  He  had  to  ask  Mas- 
lennikoff two  things :  about  Maslova's  removal  to 
the  prison  hospital,  and  about  the  130  passportless 
men  innocently  imprisoned.  Though  it  was  very  hard 
to  petition  a  man  whom  he  did  not  respect,  and  by  whose 
orders  men  were  flogged,  yet  it  was  the  only  means  of  gain- 
ing his  end,  and  he  had  to  go  through  with  it. 

As  he  drove  up  to  Maslennikoff's  house  Nekhludoff  saw 
a  number  of  different  carriages  by  the  front  door,  and  re- 
membered that  it  was  Maslennikoff's  wife's  "  at-home  "  day, 
to  which  he  had  been  invited.  At  the  moment  Nekhludoff 
drove  up  there  was  a  carriage  in  front  of  the  door,  and  a 


Resurrection  2  1 7 

footman  in  livery,  with  a  cockade  in  his  hat,  was  helping  a 
lady  down  the  doorstep.  She  was  holding  up  her  train,  and 
showing  her  thin  ankles,  black  stockings,  and  slippered  feet. 
Among  the  carriages  was  a  closed  landau,  which  he  knew 
to  be  the  Korchagins'.  The  grey-haired,  red-cheeked 
coachman  took  off  his  hat  and  bowed  in  a  respectful  yet 
friendly  manner  to  Nekhludoff,  as  to  a  gentleman  he  knew 
well.  Nekhludoff  had  not  had  time  to  inquire  for  Mas- 
lennikoff,  when  the  latter  appeared  on  the  carpeted  stairs, 
accompanying  a  very  important  guest  not  only  to  the  first 
landing  but  to  the  bottom  of  the  stairs.  This  very  important 
visitor,  a  military  man,  was  speaking  in  French  about  a 
lottery  for  the  benefit  of  children's  homes  that  were  to  be 
founded  in  the  city,  and  expressed  the  opinion  that  this  was 
a  good  occupation  for  the  ladies.  "  It  amuses  them,  and  the 
money  comes." 

"  Qu'ellcs  s'amusent  ct  que  le  bon  dieu  les  benisse.  M. 
Nekhludoff!  How  d'you  do?  How  is  it  one  never  sees 
you  ?  "  he  greeted  Nekhludoff.  "  Allez  presenter  vos  devoirs 
a  Madame.  And  the  Korchagins  are  here  et  Nadine  Buk- 
shevden.  Toutes  les  jolies  femmes  de  la  ville,"  said  the  im- 
portant guest,  slightly  raising  his  uniformed  shoulders  as  he 
presented  them  to  his  own  richly  liveried  servant  to  have  his 
military  overcoat  put  on.  "  Au  revoir,  mon  cher."  And  he 
pressed  Maslennikoff  s  hand. 

"  Now,  come  up ;  I  am  so  glad,"  said  Maslennikoff, 
grasping  Nekhludoff s  hand.  In  spite  of  his  corpulency 
Maslennikoff  hurried  quickly  up  the  stairs.  He  was  in  par- 
ticularly good  spirits,  owing  to  the  attention  paid  him  by  the 
important  personage.  Every  such  attention  gave  him  the 
same  sense  of  delight  as  is  felt  by  an  affectionate  dog  when 
its  master  pats  it,  strokes  it,  or  scratches  its  ears.  It  wags 
its  tail,  cringes,  jumps  about,  presses  its  ears  down,  and 
madly  rushes  about  in  a  circle.  Maslennikoff  was  ready  to 
do  the  same.  He  did  not  notice  the  serious  expression  on 
Nekhludoff  s  face,  paid  no  heed  to  his  words,  but  pulled  him 
irresistibly  towards  the  drawing-room,  so  that  it  was  im- 
possible for  Nekhludoff  not  to  follow.  '  Business  after- 
wards. I  shall  do  whatever  you  want,"  said  Maslennikoff, 
as  he  drew  Nekhludoff  through  the  dancing  hall.  "  An- 
nounce Prince  Nekhludoff,"  he  said  to  a  footman,  without 
stopping  on  his  way.  The  footman  started  off  at  a  trot  and 
passed  them. 


2 1 8  Resurrection 

'''  Vous  n'avez  qu'  a  ordonner.  But  you  must  see  my  wife. 
As  it  is,  I  got  it  for  letting  you  go  without  seeing  her  last 
time." 

By  the  time  they  reached  the  drawing-room  the  footman 
had  already  announced  Nekhludoff,  and  from  between  the 
bonnets  and  heads  that  surrounded  it  the  smiling  face  of 
Anna  Ignatievna,  the  Vice-Governor's  wife,  beamed  on 
Nekhludoff.  At  the  other  end  of  the  drawing-room  several 
ladies  were  seated  round  the  tea-table,  and  some  military 
men  and  some  civilians  stood  near  them.  The  clatter  of 
male  and  female  voices  went  on  unceasingly. 

"  Enfin!  you  seem  to  have  quite  forgotten  us.  How  have 
we  offended  ?  " 

With  these  words,  intended  to  convey  an  idea  of  intimacy 
which  had  never  existed  between  herself  and  Nekhludoff, 
Anna  Ignatievna  greeted  the  newcomer. 

'You  are  acquainted? — Madam  Tilyaevsky,  M.  Chern- 
off.  Sit  down  a  bit  nearer.  Missy  venez  done  a  notre  table 
on  vous  apportera  votre  the  .  .  .  And  you,"  she  said,  having 
evidently  forgotten  his  name,  to  an  officer  who  was  talking 
to  Missy,  "  do  come  here.    A  cup  of  tea,  Prince?  " 

"  I  shall  never,  never  agree  with  you.  It's  quite  simple ; 
she  did  not  love,"  a  woman's  voice  was  heard  saying. 

"  But  she  loved  tarts." 

"Oh,  your  eternal  silly  jokes!"  put  in,  laughingly,  an- 
other lady  resplendent  in  silks,  gold,  and  jewels. 

"  C'est  excellent  these  little  biscuits,  and  so  light.  I  think 
I'll  take  another." 

"  Well,  are  you  moving  soon  ?  " 

'  Yes,  this  is  our  last  day.  That's  why  we  have  come. 
Yes,  it  must  be  lovely  in  the  country ;  we  are  having  a  de- 
lightful spring." 

Missy,  with  her  hat  on,  in  a  dark-striped  dress  of  some 
kind  that  fitted  her  like  a  skin,  was  looking  very  handsome. 
She  blushed  when  she  saw  Nekhludoff. 

"  And  I  thought  you  had  left,"  she  said  to  him. 
'  I  am  on  the  point  of  leaving.     Business  is  keeping  me 
in  town,  and  it  is  on  business  I  have  come  here." 

'  Won't  you  come  to  see  mamma  ?  She  would  like  to  see 
you,"  she  said,  and  knowing  that  she  was  saying  what  was 
not  true,  and  that  he  knew  it  also,  she  blushed  still  more. 

'  I  fear  I  shall  scarcely  have  time,"  Nekhludoff  said 
gloomily,  trying  to  appear  as  if  he  had  not  noticed  her  blush. 


Resurrection  219 

Missy  frowned  angrily,  shrugged  her  shoulders,  and 
turned  towards  an  elegant  officer,  who  grasped  the  empty 
cup  she  was  holding,  and  knocking  his  sword  against  the 
chairs,  manfully  carried  the  cup  across  to  another  tahle. 

'  You  must  contribute  towards  the  Home  fund." 

'  I  am  not  refusing,  but  only  wish  to  keep  my  bounty 
fresh  for  the  lottery.  There  I  shall  let  it  appear  in  all  its 
glory." 

'  Well,  look  out  for  yourself,"  said  a  voice,  followed  by 
an  evidently  feigned  laugh. 

Anna  Ignatievna  was  in  raptures ;  her  "  at-home  "  had 
turned  out  a  brilliant  success.  "  Micky  tells  me  you  are 
busying  yourself  with  prison  work.  I  can  understand  you 
so  well,"  she  said  to  Nekhludoff.  '  Micky  (she  meant  her 
fat  husband,  Maslennikoff )  may  have  other  defects,  but 
you  know  how  kind-hearted  he  is.  All  these  miserable 
prisoners  are  his  children.  He  does  not  regard  them  in  any 
other  light.  //  est  d'une  bonte "  and  she  stopped,  find- 
ing no  words  to  do  justice  to  this  bonte  of  his,  and  quickly 
turned  to  a  shrivelled  old  woman  with  bows  of  lilac  ribbon 
all  over,  who  came  in  just  then. 

Having  said  as  much  as  was  absolutely  necessary,  and 
with  as  little  meaning  as  conventionality  required,  Nekhlu- 
doff rose  and  went  up  to  Maslennikoff.  "  Can  you  give  me 
a  few  minutes'  hearing,  please  ?  " 

"Oh,  yes.    Well,  what  is  it?" 

"  Let  us  come  in  here." 

They  entered  a  small  Japanese  sitting-room,  and  sat  down 
by  the  window. 


2  20  Resurrection 


•  CHAPTER    LVIII. 

THE   VICE-GOVERNOR    SUSPICIOUS. 

'Well?     Je  suis  a  voas.     Will  you  smoke?     But  wait 
a  bit ;  we  must  be  careful  and  not  make  a  mess  here,"  said 
Maslennikoff,  and  brought  an  ashpan.     "  Well  ?  " 
'  There  are  two  matters  I  wish  to  ask  you  about." 

"  Dear  me !  " 

An  expression  of  gloom  and  dejection  came  over  Maslen- 
nikofFs  countenance,  and  every  trace  of  the  excitement,  like 
that  of  the  dog's  whom  its  master  has  scratched  behind  the 
ears,  vanished  completely.  The  sound  of  voices  reached 
them  from  the  drawing-room.  A  woman's  voice  was  heard, 
saying,  "  Jamais  je  ne  croirais"  and  a  man's  voice  from  the 
other  side  relating  something  in  which  the  names  of  la  Com- 
tesse  Voronzoff  and  Victor  Apraksine  kept  recurring.  A 
hum  of  voices,  mixed  with  laughter,  came  from  another 
side.  Maslennikoff  tried  to  listen  to  what  was  going  on  in 
the  drawing-room  and  to  what  Nekhludofr  was  saying  at 
the  same  time. 

"  I  am  again  come  about  that  same  woman,"  said  Nekhlu- 
doff. 

"  Oh,  yes ;  I  know.    The  one  innocently  condemned." 

"  I  would  like  to  ask  that  she  should  be  appointed  to  serve 
in  the  prison  hospital.  I  have  been  told  that  this  could  be 
arranged." 

Maslennikoff  compressed  his  lips  and  meditated.  "  That 
will  be  scarcely  possible,"  he  said.  "  However,  I  shall  see 
what  can  be  done,  and  shall  wire  you  an  answer  to-morrow." 

"  I  have  been  told  that  there  were  many  sick,  and  help 
was  needed." 

"  All  right,  all  right.     I  shall  let  you  know  in  anv  case." 

"  Please  do,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

The  sound  of  a  general  and  even  a  natural  laugh  came 
from  the  drawing-room. 

'  That's  all  that  Victor.  He  is  wonderfully  sharp  when 
he  is  in  the  right  vein,"  said  Maslennikoff. 


Resurrection  221 

'  The  next  thing  I  wanted  to  tell  you,"  said  Nekhludoff, 
"  is  that  130  persons  are  imprisoned  only  because  their  pass- 
ports are  overdue.    They  have  been  kept  here  a  month." 

And  he  related  the  circumstances  of  the  case. 

"  How  have  you  come  to  know  of  this?  "  said  Maslenni- 
koff,  looking-  uneasy  and  dissatisfied. 

"  I  went  to  see  a  prisoner,  and  these  men  came  and  sur- 
rounded me  in  the  corridor,  and  asked    .    .    ." 

"  What  prisoner  did  you  go  to  see?  " 

"  A  peasant  who  is  kept  in  prison,  though  innocent.  I 
have  put  his  case  into  the  hands  of  a  lawyer.  But  that  is 
not  the  point.  Is  it  possible  that  people  who  have  done 
no  wrong  are  imprisoned  only  because  their  passports  are 
overdue?    And    .    .    ." 

'  That's  the  Procureur's  business,"  Maslennikoff  inter- 
rupted, angrily.  "  There,  now,  you  see  what  it  is  you  call 
a  prompt  and  just  form  of  trial  It  is  the  business  of  the 
Public  Prosecutor  to  visit  the  prison  and  to  find  out  if  the 
prisoners  are  kept  there  lawfully.  But  that  set  play  cards; 
that's  all  they  do." 

"  Am  I  to  understand  that  you  can  do  nothing?  "  Nekhlu- 
doff said,  despondently,  remembering  that  the  advocate  had 
foretold  that  the  Governor  would  put  the  blame  on  the  Pro- 
cur  eur. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  can.    I  shall  see  about  it  at  once." 

"  So  much  the  worse  for  her.  C'est  un  souifre  douleur," 
came  the  voice  of  a  woman,  evidently  indifferent  to  what 
she  was  saying,  from  the  drawing-room. 

;'  So  much  the  better.     I  shall  take  it  also,"  a  man's  voice 
was  heard  to  say  from  the  other  side,  followed  by  the  play-; 
ful   laughter  of  a  woman,   who  was  apparently  trying  to 
prevent  the  man  from  taking  something  away  from  her. 

'  No,  no ;  not  on  any  account,"  the  woman's  voice  said. 

'  All  right,  then.  I  shall  do  all  this,"  Maslennikoff  repeated, 
and  put  out  the  cigarette  he  held  in  his  white,  turquoise- 
ringed  hand.    "  And  now  let  us  join  the  ladies." 

"  Wait  a  moment,"  Nekhludoff  said,  stopping  at  the  door 
of  the  drawing-room.  "  I  was  told  that  some  men  had  re- 
ceived corporal  punishment  in  the  prison  yesterday.  Is  this 
true?"  J 

Maslennikoff  blushed. 

"  Oh,  that's  what  you  are  after?  No,  mon  cher,  decidedly 
it  won't  do  to  let  you  in  there ;  you  want  to  get  at  everything. 


222  Resurrection 

Come,  come ;  Anna  is  calling  us,"  he  said,  catching  Nekhlu- 
doff by  the  arm,  and  again  becoming  as  excited  as  after  the 
attention  paid  him  by  the  important  person,  only  now  his 
excitement  was  not  joyful,  but  anxious. 

Nekhludoff  pulled  his  arm  away,  and  without  taking  leave 
of  any  one  and  without  saying  a  word,  he  passed  through 
the  drawing-room  with  a  dejected  look,  went  down  into  the 
hall,  past  the  footman,  who  sprang  towards  him,  and  out 
at  the  street  door. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  him  ?  What  have  you  done  to 
him  ?  "  asked  Anna  of  her  husband. 

"  This  is  a  la  Francaise,"  remarked  some  one. 

"A  la  Frangaise,  indeed — it  is  a  la  Zoulou." 

"  Oh,  but  he's  always  been  like  that." 

Some  one  rose,  some  one  came  in,  and  the  clatter  went  on 
its  course.  The  company  used  this  episode  with  Nekhludoff 
as  a  convenient  topic  of  conversation  for  the  rest  of  the 
"  at-home." 

On  the  day  following  his  visit  to  Maslennikoff,  Nekhlu- 
doff received  a  letter  from  him,  written  in  a  fine,  firm  hand, 
on  thick,  glazed  paper,  with  a  coat-of-arms,  and  sealed  with 
sealing-wax.  -Maslennikoff  said  that  he  had  written  to  the 
doctor  concerning  Maslova's  removal  to  the  hospital,  and 
hoped  Nekhludoff's  wish  would  receive  attention.  The 
letter  was  signed,  "  Your  affectionate  elder  comrade,"  and 
the  signature  ended  with  a  large,  firm,  and  artistic  flourish. 
"  Fool !  "  Nekhludoff  could  not  refrain  from  saying,  espe- 
cially because  in  the  word  "  comrade  "  he  felt  Maslennikoff's 
condescension  towards  him,  i.e.,  while  Maslennikoff  was 
filling  this  position,  morally  most  dirty  and  shameful,  he 
still  thought  himself  a  very  important  man,  and  wished,  if 
not  exactly  to  flatter  Nekhludoff,  at  least  to  show  that  he 
was  not  too  proud  to  call  him  comrade. 


Resurrection  223 


CHAPTER  LIX. 
nekhludoff's  third  interview  with  maslova  in  trison. 

One  of  the  most  widespread  superstitions  is  that  every 
man  has  his  own  special,  definite  qualities ;  that  a  man  is 
kind,  cruel,  wise,  stupid,  energetic,  apathetic,  etc.  Men  are 
not  like  that.  We  may  say  of  a  man  that  he  is  more  often 
kind  than  cruel,  oftener  wise  than  stupid,  oftener  energetic 
than  apathetic,  or  the  reverse;  but  it  would  be  false  to  say 
of  one  man  that  he  is  kind  and  wise,  of  another  that  he  is 
wicked  and  foolish.  And  yet  we  always  classify  mankind 
in  this  way.  And  this  is  untrue.  Men  are  like  rivers :  the 
water  is  the  same  in  each,  and  alike  in  all ;  but  every  river  is 
narrow  here,  is  more  rapid  there,  here  slower,  there  broader, 
now  clear,  now  cold,  now  dull,  now  warm.  It  is  the  same 
with  men.  Every  man  carries  in  himself  the  germs  of  every 
human  quality,  and  sometimes  one  manifests  itself,  some- 
times another,  and  the  man  often  becomes  unlike  himself, 
while  still  remaining  the  same  man.  In  some  people  these 
changes  are  very  rapid,  and  Nekhludoff  was  such  a  man. 
These  changes  in  him  were  due  to  physical  and  to  spiritual 
causes.    At  this  time  he  experienced  such  a  change. 

That  feeling  of  triumph  and  joy  at  the  renewal  of  life 
which  he  had  experienced  after  the  trial  and  after  the  first 
interview  with  Katusha,  vanished  completely,  and  after  the 
last  interview  fear  and  revulsion  took  the  place  of  that  joy. 
He  was  determined  not  to  leave  her,  and  not  to  change  his 
decision  of  marrying  her,  if  she  wished  it ;  but  it  seemed  very 
hard,  and  made  him  suffer. 

On  the  day  after  his  visit  to  Maslennikoff,  he  again  went 
to  the  prison  to  see  her. 

The  inspector  allowed  him  to  speak  to  her,  only  not  in  the 
advocate's  room  nor  in  the  office,  but  in  the  women's  visit- 
ing-room. In  spite  of  his  kindness,  the  inspector  was  more 
reserved  with  Nekhludoff  than  hitherto. 

An  order  for  greater  caution  had  apparently  been  sent,  as 
a  result  of  his  conversation  with  Maslennikoff. 

'  You  may  see  her,"  the  inspector  said ;  "  but  please  re- 


224  Resurrection 

member  what  I  said  as  regards  money.  And  as  to  her  re- 
moval to  the  hospital,  that  his  excellency  wrote  to  me  about, 
it  can  be  done ;  the  doctor  would  agree.  Only  she  herself  does 
not  wish  it.  She  says,  '  Much  need  have  I  to  carry  out  the 
slops  for  the  scurvy  beggars.'  You  don't  know  what  these 
people  are,  Prince,"  he  added. 

Nekhludoff  did  not  reply,  but  asked  to  have  the  interview. 
The  inspector  called  a  jailer,  whom  Nekhludoff  followed 
into  the  women's  visiting-room,  where  there  was  no  one  but 
Maslova  waiting.  She  came  from  behind  the  grating,  quiet 
and  timid,  close  up  to  him,  and  said,  without  looking  at  him : 

"  Forgive  me,  Dmitri  Ivanovitch,  I  spoke  hastily  the  day 
before  yesterday." 

'  It  is  not  for  me  to  forgive  you,"  Nekhludoff  began. 

"  But  all  the  same,  you  must  leave  me,"  she  interrupted, 
and  in  the  terribly  squinting  eyes  with  which  she  looked  at 
him  Nekhludoff  read  the  former  strained,  angry  expression. 

"  Whv  should  I  leave  you?  " 

"  So." 

"But  why  so?" 

She  again  looked  up,  as  it  seemed  to  him,  with  the  same 
angry  look. 

'  Well,  then,  thus  it  is,"  she  said.  '  You  must  leave  me. 
It  is  true  what  I  am  saying.  I  cannot.  You  just  give  it  up 
altogether."  Her  lips  trembled  and  she  was  silent  for  a 
moment.    "  It  is  true.    I'd  rather  hang  myself." 

Nekhludoff  felt  that  in  this  refusal  there  was  hatred  and 
unforgiving  resentment,  but  there  was  also  something  be- 
sides, something  good.  This  confirmation  of  the  refusal  in 
cold  blood  at  once  quenched  all  the  doubts  in  Nekhludoff  s 
bosom,  and  brought  back  the  serious,  triumphant  emotion 
he  had  felt  in  relation  to  Katusha. 

'  Katusha,  what  I  have  said  I  will  again  repeat,"  he 
uttered,  very  seriously.  '  I  ask  you  to  marry  me.  If  you  do 
not  wish  it,  and  for  as  long  as  you  do  not  wish  it,  I  shall  only 
continue  to  follow  you,  and  shall  go  where  you  are  taken." 

1  That  is  your  business.  I  shall  not  say  anything  more," 
she  answered,  and  her  lips  began  to  tremble  again. 

He,  too,  was  silent,  feeling  unable  to  speak. 

. "  I  shall  now  go  to  the  country,  and  then  to  Petersburg," 
he  said,  when  he  was  quieter  again.  "  I  shall  do  my  utmost 
to  get  your — our  case,  I  mean,  reconsidered,  and  by  the  Help 
of  God  the  sentence  mav  be  revoked." 


Resurrection  225 

"  And  if  it  is  not  revoked,  never  mind.  I  have  deserved  it, 
if  not  in  this  case,  in  other  ways,"  she  said,  and  he  saw  how 
difficult  it  was  for  her  to  keep  down  her  tears. 

'  Well,  have  you  seen  Menshoff  ?  "  she  suddenly  asked,  to 
hide  her  emotion.    "  It's  true  they  are  innocent,  isn't  it?  " 

"  Yes,  I  think  so." 
'  Such  a  splendid  old  woman,"  she  said. 

There  was  another  pause. 

'Well,  and  as  to  the  hospital?"  she  suddenly  said,  and 
looking  at  him  with  her  squinting  eyes.  "  If  you  like,  I  will 
go,  and  I  shall  not  drink  any  spirits,  either." 

Nekhludoff   looked   into   her  eyes.      They   were   smiling. 

'  Yes,    yes,    she    is    quite    a    different    being,"    Nekhludoff 

thought.    After  all  his  former  doubts,  he  now  felt  something 

he  had  never  before  experienced — the  certainty  that  love  is 

invincible. 

When  Maslova  returned  to  her  noisome  cell  after  this  in- 
terview, she  took  off  her  cloak  and  sat  down  in  her  place  on 
the  shelf  bedstead  with  her  hands  folded  on  her  lap.  In  the 
cell  were  only  the  consumptive  woman,  the  Vladimir  woman 
with  her  baby,  MenshofFs  old  mother,  and  the  watchman's 
wife.  The  deacon's  daughter  had  the  day  before  been  de- 
clared mentally  diseased  and  removed  to  the  hospital.  The  rest 
of  the  women  were  away,  washing  clothes.  The  old  woman 
was  asleep,  the  cell  door  stood  open,  and  the  watchman's 
children  were  in  the  corridor  outside.  The  Vladimir  woman, 
with  her  baby  in  her  arms,  and  the  watchman's  wife,  with 
the  stocking  she  was  knitting  with  deft  fingers,  came  up  to 
Maslova.  '  Well,  have  you  had  a  chat  ?  "  they  asked.  Mas- 
lova sat  silent  on  the  high  bedstead,  swinging  her  legs,  which 
did  not  reach  to  the  floor. 

'What's  the  good  of  snivelling?"  said  the  watchman's 
wife.  'The  chief  thing's  not  to  go  down  into  the  dumps. 
Eh,  Katusha?  Now,  then!  "  and  she  went  on,  quickly  mov- 
ing her  fingers. 

Maslova  did  not  answer. 

"  And  our  women  have  all  gone  to  wash,"  said  the  Vlad- 
imir woman.  "  I  heard  them  say  much  has  been  given  in 
alms  to-day.    Quite  a  lot  has  been  brought." 

'  Finashka,"  called  out  the  watchman's  wife,  "  where's 
the  little  imp  gone  to?  " 

She  took  a  knitting  needle,  stuck  it  through  both  the  ball 
and  the  stocking,  and  went  out  into  the  corridor. 


226  Resurrection 

At  this  moment  the  sound  of  women's  voices  was  heard 
from  the  corridor,  and  the  inmates  of  the  cell  entered,  with 
their  prison  shoes,  but  no  stockings  on  their  feet.  Each  was 
carrying  a  roll,  some  even  two.  Theodosia  came  at  once  up 
to  Maslova. 

"What's  the  matter;  is  anything  wrong?"  Theodosia 
asked,  looking  lovingly  at  Maslova  with  her  clear,  blue  eyes. 
"  This  is  for  our  tea,"  and  she  put  the  rolls  on  a  shelf. 

"  Why,  surely  he  has  not  changed  his  mind  about  marry- 
ing?" asked  Korableva. 

"  No,  he  has  not,  but  I  don't  wish  to,"  said  Maslova,  "  and 
so  I  told  him." 

"  More  fool  you !  "  muttered  Korableva  in  her  deep  tones. 

"  If  one's  not  to  live  together,  what's  the  use  of  marry- 
ing? "  said  Theodosia. 

"  There's  your  husband — he's  going  with  you,"  said  the 
watchman's  wife. 

"  Well,  of  course,  we're  married,"  said  Theodosia.  '  But 
why  should  he  go  through  the  ceremony  if  he  is  not  to  live 
with  her?" 

"  Why,  indeed !  Don't  be  a  fool !  You  know  if  he  mar- 
ries her  she'll  roll  in  wealth,"  said  Korableva. 

"  He  says,  '  Wherever  they  take  you,  I'll  follow,'  "  said 
Maslova.  "  If  he  does,  it's  well ;  if  he  does  not,  well  also. 
I  am  not  going  to  ask  him  to.  Now  he  is  going  to  try  and 
arrange  the  matter  in  Petersburg.  He  is  related  to  all  the 
Ministers  there.  But,  all  the  same,  I  have  no  need  of  him," 
she  continued. 

"  Of  course  not,"  suddenly  agreed  Korableva,  evidently 
thinking  about  something  else  as  she  sat  examining  her  bag. 
"  Well,  shall  we  have  a  drop?  " 

"  You  have  some,"  replied  Maslova.     '  I  won't." 

END  OF  BOOK  I. 


Book  II 


CHAPTER  I. 

PROPERTY   IN    LAND. 

It  was  possible  for  Maslova's  case  to  come  before  the 
Senate  in  a  fortnight,  at  which  time  Nekhludoff  meant  to 
go  to  Petersburg,  and,  if  need  be,  to  appeal  to  the  Emperor 
(as  the  advocate  who  had  drawn  up  the  petition  advised) 
should  the  appeal  be  disregarded  (and,  according  to  the  ad- 
vocate, it  was  best  to  be  prepared  for  that,  since  the  causes 
for  appeal  were  so  slight).  The  party  of  convicts,  among 
whom  was  Maslova,  would  very  likely  leave  in  the  begin- 
ning of  June.  In  order  to  be  able  to  follow  her  to  Siberia, 
as  Nekhludoff  was  firmly  resolved  to  do,  he  was  now  ob- 
liged to  visit  his  estates,  and  settle  matters  there.  Nekh- 
ludoff first  went  to  the  nearest,  Kousminski,  a  large  estate 
that  lay  in  the  black  earth  district,  and  from  which  he  de- 
rived the  greatest  part  of  his  income. 

He  had  lived  on  that  estate  in  his  childhood  and  youth, 
and  had  been  there  twice  since,  and  once,  at  his  mother's 
request,  he  had  taken  a  German  steward  there,  and  had 
with  him  verified  the  accounts.  The  state  of  things  there 
and  the  peasants'  relations  to  the  management,  i.e.,  the 
landlord,  had  therefore  been  long  known  to  him.  The  re- 
lations of  the  peasants  to  the  administration  were  those  of 
utter  dependence  on  that  management.  Nekhludoff  knew 
all  this  when,  still  a  university  student,  he  had  confessed 
and  preached  Henry  Georgeism,  and,  on  the  basis  of  that 
teaching,  had  given  the  land  inherited  from  his  father  to 
the  peasants.  It  is  true  that  after  entering  the  army,  when 
he  got  into  the  habit  of  spending  20,000  roubles  a  year, 
those  former  occupations  ceased  to  be  regarded  as  a  duty, 
and  were  forgotten,  and  he  not  only  left  off  asking  himself 
where  the  money  his  mother  allowed  him  came  from,  but 
even  avoided  thinking  about  it.  But  his  mother's  death, 
the  coming  into  the  property,  and  the  necessity  of  manag- 


230  Resurrection 

ing  it,  again  raised  the  question  as  to  what  his  position  in 
reference  to  private  property  in  land  was.  A  month  before 
Nekhludoff  would  have  answered  that  he  had  not  the 
strength  to  alter  the  existing  order  of  things  ;  that  it  was  not 
he  who  was  administering  the  estate ;  and  would  one  way  or 
another  have  eased  his  conscience,  continuing  to  live  far 
from  his  estates,  and  having  the  money  sent  him.  But  now 
he  decided  that  he  could  not  leave  things  to  go  on  as  they 
were,  but  would  have  to  alter  them  in  a  way  unprofitable  to 
himself,  even  though  he  had  all 'these  complicated  and  dif- 
ficult relations  with  the  prison  world  which  made  money 
necessary,  as  well  as  a  probable  journey  to  Siberia  before 
him.  Therefore  he  decided  not  to  farm  the  land,  but  to  let 
it  to  the  peasants  at  a  low  rent,  to  enable  them  to  cultivate 
it  without  depending  on  a  landlord.  More  than  once,  when 
comparing  the  position  of  a  landowner  with  that  of  an 
owner  of  serfs,  Nekhludoff  had  compared  the  renting  of 
land  to  the  peasants  instead  of  cultivating  it  with  hired 
labour,  to  the  old  system  by  which  serf  proprietors  used  to 
exact  a  money  payment  from  their  serfs  in  place  of  labour. 
It  was  not  a  solution  of  the  problem,  and  yet  a  step  tow- 
ards the  solution ;  it  was  a  movement  towards  a  less  rude 
form  of  slavery.    And  it  was  in  this  way  he  meant  to  act. 

Nekhludoff  reached  Kousminski  about  noon.  Trying  to 
simplify  his  life  in  every  way,  he  did  not  telegraph,  but  hired 
a  cart  and  pair  at  the  station.  The  driver  was  a  young 
fellow  in  a  nankeen  coat,  with  a  belt  below  his  long  waist. 
He  was  glad  to  talk  to  the  gentleman,  especially  because 
while  they  were  talking  his  broken-winded  white  horse  and 
the  emaciated  spavined  one  could  go  at  a  foot-pace,  which 
they  always  liked  to  do. 

The  driver  spoke  about  the  steward  at  Kousminski  with- 
out knowing  that  he  was  driving  "  the  master."  Nekhlu- 
doff had  purposely  not  told  him  who  he  was. 

'  That  ostentatious  German,"  said  the  driver  (who  had 
been  to  town  and  read  novels)  as  he  sat  sideways  on  the 
box,  passing  his  hand  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of  his 
long  whip,  and  trying  to  show  off  his  accomplishments — 
"  that  ostentatious  German  has  procured  three  light  bays, 
and  when  he  drives  out  with  his  lady — oh,  my !  At  Christ- 
mas he  had  a  Christmas-tree  in  the  big  house.  I  drove  some 
of  the  visitors  there.  It  had  'lectric  lights  ;  you  could  not  see 
the  like  of  it  in  the  whole  of  the  government.     What's  it  to 


Resurrection  231 

him,  he  has  cribbed  a  heap  of  money.  I  heard  say  he  has 
bought  an  estate." 

Nekhludoff  had  imagined  that  he  was  quite  indifferent 
to  the  way  the  steward  managed  his  estate,  and  what  ad- 
vantages the  steward  derived  from  it.  The  words  of  the 
long-waisted  driver,  however,  were  not  pleasant  to  hear. 

A  dark  cloud  now  and  then  covered  the  sun ;  the  larks 
were  soaring  above  the  fields  of  winter  corn ;  the  forests 
were  already  covered  with  fresh  young  green ;  the  meadows 
speckled  with  grazing  cattle  and  horses.  The  fields  were 
being  ploughed,  and  Nekhludoff  enjoyed  the  lovely  day. 
But  every  now  and  then  he  had  an  unpleasant  feeling,  and, 
when  he  asked  himself  what  it  was  caused  by,  he  remem- 
bered what  the  driver  had  told  him  about  the  way  the  Ger- 
man was  managing  Kousminski.  When  he  got  to  his  estate 
and  set  to  work  this  unpleasant  feeling  vanished. 

Looking  over  the  books  in  the  office,  and  a  talk  with  the 
foreman,  who  naively  pointed  out  the  advantages  to  be  de- 
rived from  the  facts  that  the  peasants  had  very  little  land 
of  their  own  and  that  it  lay  in  the  midst  of  the  landlord's 
fields,  made  Nekhludoff  more  than  ever  determined  to 
leave  off  farming  and  to  let  his  land  to  the  peasants. 

From  the  office  books  and  his  talk  with  the  foreman, 
Nekhludoff  found  that  two-thirds  of  the  best  of  the  culti- 
vated land  was  still  being  tilled  with  improved  machinery 
by  labourers  receiving  fixed  wages,  while  the  other  third 
was  tilled  by  the  peasants  at  the  rate  of  five  roubles  per 
desiatiii*  So  that  the  peasants  had  to  plough  each  dcsiatiu 
three  times,  harrow  it  three  times,  sow  and  mow  the  corn, 
make  it  into  sheaves,  and  deliver  it  on  the  threshing  ground 
for  five  roubles,  while  the  same  amount  of  work  done  by 
wage  labour  came  to  at  least  10  roubles.  Everything  the 
peasants  got  from  the  office  they  paid  for  in  labour  at  a 
very  high  price.  They  paid  in  labour  for  the  use  of  the 
meadows,  for  wood,  for  potato-stalks,  and  were  nearly  all 
of  them  in  debt  to  the  office.  Thus,  for  the  land  that  lay 
beyond  the  cultivated  fields,  which  the  peasants  hired,  four 
times  the  price  that  its  value  would  bring  in  if  invested  at 
five  per  cent,  was  taken  from  the  peasants. 

Nekhludoff  had  known  all  this  before,  but  he  now  saw 
it  in  a  new  light,  and  wondered  how  he  and  others  in  his 
position  could  help  seeing  how  abnormal  such  conditions 
*  About  two  and  three-quarter  acres. 


232  Resurrection 

are.  The  steward's  arguments  that  if  the  land  were  let  to 
the  peasants  the  agricultural  implements  would  fetch  next 
to  nothing,  as  it  would  be  impossible  to  get  even  a  quarter 
of  their  value  for  them,  and  that  the  peasants  would  spoil 
the  land,  and  how  great  a  loser  Nekhludoff  would  be,  only 
strengthened  Nekhludoff  in  the  opinion  that  he  was  doing 
a  good  action  in  letting  the  land  to  the  peasants  and  thus 
depriving  himself  of  a  large  part  of  his  income.  He  decided 
to  settle  this  business  now,  at  once,  while  he  was  there.  The 
reaping  and  selling  of  the  corn  he  left  for  the  steward  to 
manage  in  due  season,  and  also  the  selling  of  the  agricultural 
implements  and  useless  buildings.  But  he  ?sked  his  steward 
to  call  the  peasants  of  the  three  neighbouring  villages  that 
lay  in  the  midst  of  his  estate  (Kousminski)  to  a  meeting,  at 
which  he  would  tell  them  of  his  intentions  and  arrange  about 
the  price  at  which  they  were  to  rent  the  land. 

With  the  pleasant  sense  of  the  firmness  he  had  shown  in 
the  face  of  the  steward's  arguments,  and  his  readiness  to 
make  a  sacrifice,  Nekhludoff  left  the  office,  thinking  over 
the  business  before  him,  and  strolled  round  the  house, 
through  the  neglected  flower-garden — this  year  the  flowers 
were  planted  in  front  of  the  steward's  house — over  the  tennis 
ground,  now  overgrown  with  dandelions,  and  along  the 
lime-tree  walk,  where  he  used  to  smoke  his  cigar,  and  where 
he  had  flirted  with  the  pretty  Kirimova,  his  mother's  visitor. 
Having  briefly  prepared  in  his  mind  the  speech  he  was  going 
to  make  to  the  peasants,  he  i.gain  went  in  to  the  steward, 
and,  after  tea,  having  once  more  arranged  his  thoughts, 
he  went  into  the  room  prepared  for  him  in  the  big  house, 
which  used  to  be  a  spare  bedroom. 

In  this  clean  little  room,  with  pictures  of  Venice  on  the 
walls,  and  a  mirror  between  the  two  windows,  there  stood 
a  clean  bed  with  a  spring  mattress,  and  by  the  side  of  it 
a  small  table,  with  a  decanter  of  water,  matches,  and  an  ex- 
tinguisher. On  a  table  by  the  looking-glass  lay  his  open 
portmanteau,  with  his  dressing-case  and  some  books  in  it ; 
a  Russian  book,  The  Investigation  of  the  Lazvs  of  Crimi- 
nality, and  a  German  and  an  English  book  on  the  same 
subject,  which  he  meant  to  read  while  travelling  in  the 
country.  But  it  was  too  late  to  begin  to-day,  and  he  began 
preparing  to  go  to  bed. 

An  old-fashioned  inlaid  mahogany  arm-chair  stood  in  the 
corner  of  the  room,  and  this  chair,  which  Nekhludoff  re- 


Resurrection  233 

membered  standing  in  his  mother's  bedroom,  suddenly 
raised  a  perfectly  unexpected  sensation  in  his  soul.  He  was 
suddenly  filled  with  regret  at  the  thought  of  the  house  that 
would  tumble  to  ruin,  and  the  garden  that  would  run  wild, 
and  the  forest  that  would  be  cut  down,  and  all  these  farm- 
yards, stables,  sheds,  machines,  horses,  cows  which  he  knew 
had  cost  so  much  effort,  though  not  to  himself,  to  acquire 
and  to  keep.  It  had  seemed  easy  to  give  up  all  this,  but  now 
it  was  hard,  not  only  to  give  this,  but  even  to  let  the  land 
and  lose  half  his  income.  And  at  once  a  consideration,, 
which  proved  that  it  was  unreasonable  to  let  the  land  to  the 
peasants,  and  thus  to  destroy  his  property,  came  to  his  ser- 
vice. "  I  must  not  hold  property  in  land.  If  I  possess  no 
property  in  land,  I  cannot  keep  up  the  house  and  farm.  And1,, 
besides,  I  am  going  to  Siberia,  and  shall  not  need  either 
the  house  or  the  estate,"  said  one  voice.  "  All  this  is 
so,"  said  another  voice,  "  but  you  are  not  going  to  spend! 
all  your  life  in  Siberia.  You  may  marry,  and  have  children,, 
and  must  hand  the  estate  on  to  them  in  as  good  a  condi- 
tion as  you  received  it.  There  is  a  duty  to  the  land,  too. 
To  give  up,  to  destroy  everything  is  very  easy;  to  acquire 
it  very  difficult.  Above  all,  you  must  consider  your  future 
life,  and  what  you  will  do  with  yourself,  and  you  must 
dispose  of  your  property  accordingly.  And  are  you  really 
firm  in  your  resolve?  And  then,  are  you  really  acting  ac- 
cording to  your  conscience,  or  are  you  acting  in  order  to  be 
admired  of  men?"  Nekhludoff  asked  himself  all  this,  and 
had  to  acknowledge  that  he  was  influenced  by  the  thought 
of  what  people  would  say  about  him.  And  the  more  he 
thought  about  it  the  more  questions  arose,  and  the  more 
unsolvable  they  seemed. 

In  hopes  of  ridding  himself  of  these  thoughts  by  falling 
asleep,  and  solving  them  in  the  morning  when  his  head 
would  be  fresh,  he  lay  down  on  his  clean  bed..  But  it  was 
long  before  he  could  sleep.  Together  with  the  fresh  air 
and  the  moonlight,  the  croaking  of  the  frogs  entered  the 
room,  mingling  with  the  trills  of  a  couple  of  nightingales 
in  the  park  and  one  close  to  the  window  in  a  bush  of  lilacs 
in  bloom.  Listening  to  the  nightingales  and  the  frogs, 
Nekhludoff  remembered  the  inspector's  daughter,  and  her 
music,  and  the  inspector ;  that  reminded  him  of  Maslova, 
and  how  her  lips  trembled,  like  the  croaking  of  the  frogs, 
when  she  said,  "  You  must  just  leave  it"   Then  the  German 


234  Resurrection 

steward  began  going  down  to  the  frogs,  and  had  to  be  held 
back,  but  he  not  only  went  down  but  turned  into  Maslova, 
who  began  reproaching  Nekhludoff,  saying,  "  You  are  a 
prince,  and  I  am  a  convict."  "  No,  I  must  not  give  in," 
thought  Nekhludoff,  waking  up,  and  again  asking  himself, 
"  Is  what  I  am  doing  right  ?  I  do  not  know,  and  no  matter, 
no  matter,  I  must  only  fall  asleep  now."  And  he  began 
himself  to  descend  where  he  had  seen  the  inspector  and 
Maslova  climbing  down  to,  and  there  it  all  ended. 


Resurrection  235 


CHAPTER    II. 

EFFORTS  AT  LAND  RESTORATION. 

The  next  day  Nekhludoff  awoke  at  nine  o'clock.  The 
young  office  clerk  who  attended  on  "  the  master  "  brought 
him  his  boots,  shining  as  they  had  never  shone  before,  and 
some  cold,  beautifully  clear  spring  water,  and  informed  him 
that  the  peasants  were  already  assembling.  Nekhludoff 
jumped  out  of  bed,  and  collected  his  thoughts.  Not  a  trace 
of  yesterday's  regret  at  giving  up  and  thus  destroying  his 
property  remained  now.  He  remembered  this  feeling  of 
regret  with  surprise ;  he  was  now  looking  forward  with  joy 
to  the  task  before  him,  and  could  not  help  being  proud  of  it. 
He  could  see  from  the  window  the  old  tennis  ground,  over- 
grown with  dandelions,  on  which  the  peasants  were  begin- 
ning to  assemble.  The  frogs  had  not  croaked  in  vain  the 
night  before ;  the  day  was  dull.  There  was  no  wind ;  a  soft 
warm  rain  had  begun  falling  in  the  morning,  and  hung  in 
drops  on  leaves,  twigs,  and  grass.  Besides  the  smell  of  the 
fresh  vegetation,  the  smell  of  damp  earth,  asking  for  more 
rain,  entered  in  at  the  window.  While  dressing,  Nekhludoff 
several  times  looked  out  at  the  peasants  gathered  on  the 
tennis  ground.  One  by  one  they  came,  took  off  their  hats 
or  caps  to  one  another,  and  took  their  places  in  a  circle, 
leaning  on  their  sticks.  The  steward,  a  stout,  muscular, 
strong  young  man,  dressed  in  a  short  pea-jacket,  with  a 
green  stand-up  collar,  and  enormous  buttons,  came  to  say 
that  all  had  assembled,  but  that  they  might  wait  until 
Nekhludoff  had  finished  his  breakfast — tea  and  coffee, 
whichever  he  pleased  ;  both  were  ready. 

"  No,  I  think  I  had  better  go  and  see  them  at  once,"  said 
Nekhludoff,  with  an  unexpected  feeling  of  shyness  and 
shame  at  the  thought  of  the  conversation  he  was  going  to 
have  with  the  peasants.  He  was  going  to  fulfil  a  wish  of 
the  peasants,  the  fulfilment  of  which  they  did  not  even  dare 
to  hope  for — to  let  the  land  to  them  at  a  low  price,  i.e.,  to. 
confer  a  great  boon ;  and  yet  he  felt  ashamed  of  something. 
When  Nekhludoff  came  up  to  the  peasants,  and  the  fair, 


236  Resurrection 

the  curly,  the  bald,  the  grey  heads  were  bared  before  him, 
he  felt  so  confused  that  he  could  say  nothing.  The  rain 
continued  to  come  down  in  small  drops,  that  remained  on 
the  hair,  the  beards,  and  the  fluff  of  the  men's  rough  coats. 
The  peasants  looked  at  "  the  master,"  waiting  for  him  to 
speak,  and  he  was  so  abashed  that  he  could  not  speak.  This 
confused  silence  was  broken  by  the  sedate,  self-assured 
German  steward,  who  considered  himself  a  good  judge  of 
the  Russian  peasant,  and  who  spoke  Russian  remarkably 
well.  This  strong,  over-fed  man,  and  Nekhludoff  himself, 
presented  a  striking  contrast  to  the  peasants,  with  their  thin, 
wrinkled  faces  and  the  shoulder  blades  protruding  beneath 
their  coarse  coats. 

"  Here's  the  Prince  wanting  to  do  you  a  favor,  and  to  let 
the  land  to  you ;  only  you  are  not  worthy  of  it,"  said  the 
steward. 

"  How  are  we  not  worthy  of  it,  Vasili  Karlovitch  ?  Don't 
we  work  for  you?  We  were  well  satisfied  with  the  deceased 
lady — God  have  mercy  on  her  soul — and  the  young  Prince 
will  not  desert  us  now.  Our  thanks  to  him,"  said  a  red- 
haired,  talkative  peasant. 

'  Yes,  that's  why  I  have  called  you  together.  I  should 
like  to  let  you  have  all  the  land,  if  you  wish  it." 

The  peasants  said  nothing,  as  if  they  did  not  understand 
or  did  not  believe  it. 

"  Let's  see.  Let  us  have  the  land  ?  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 
asked  a  middle-aged  man. 

'  To  let  it  to  you,  that  you  might  have  the  use  of  it,  at  a 
low  rent." 

"  A  very  agreeable  thing,"  said  an  old  man. 
'  If  only  the  pay  is  such  as  we  can  afford,"  said  another. 

"  There's  no  reason  why  we  should  not  rent  the  land." 

"  We  are  accustomed  to  live  by  tilling  the  ground." 

"  And  it's  quieter  for  you,  too,  that  way.  You'll  have  to 
do  nothing  but  receive  the  rent.  Only  think  of  all  the  sin 
and  worry  now !  "  several  voices  were  heard  saying. 

'  The  sin  is  all  on  your  side,"  the  German  remarked.  "  If 
only  you  did  your  work,  and  were  orderly." 

'  That's  impossible  for  the  likes  of  us,"  said  a  sharp-nosed 
old  man.  '  You  say,  '  Why  do  you  let  the  horse  get  into 
the  corn?'  just  as  if  I  let  it  in.  Why,  I  was  swinging  my 
scythe,  or  something  of  the  kind,  the  livelong  day,  till  the 
day  seemed  as  long  as  a  year,  and  so  I  fell  asleep  while 


Resurrection  237 

watching  the  herd  of  horses  at  night,  and  it  got  into  your 
oats,  and  now  you're  skinning  me." 

"  And  you  should  keep  order." 

"  It's  easy  for  you  to  talk  about  order,  but  it's  more  than 
our  strength  will  bear,"  answered  a  tall,  dark,  hairy  middle- 
aged  man. 

"  Didn't  I  tell  you  to  put  up  a  fence?  " 

"  You  give  us  the  wood  to  make  it  of,"  said  a  short,  plain- 
looking  peasant.  "  I  was  going  to  put  up  a  fence  last  year, 
and  you  put  me  to  feed  vermin  in  prison  for  three  months. 
That  was  the  end  of  that  fence." 

"  What  is  it  he  is  saying?  "  asked  Nekhludoff,  turning  to 
the  steward. 

"  Der  erste  Dieb  im  Dorfc*  answered  the  steward  in  Ger- 
man. "  He  is  caught  stealing  wood  from  the  forest  every 
year."  Then  turning  to  the  peasant,  he  added,  "  You  must 
learn  to  respect  other  people's  property." 

"  Why,  don't  we  respect  you?  "  said  an  old  man.  '  We 
are  obliged  to  respect  you.  Why,  you  could  twist  us  into 
a  rope ;  we  are  in  your  hands." 

"  Eh,  my  friend,  it's  impossible  to  do  you.  It's  you  who 
are  ever  ready  to  do  us,"  said  the  steward. 

"  Do  you,  indeed.  Didn't  you  smash  my  jaw  for  me,  and 
I  got  nothing  for  it  ?  No  good  going  to  law  with  the  rich,  it 
seems." 

"  You  should  keep  to  the  law." 

A  tournament  of  words  was  apparently  going  on  without 
those  who  took  part  in  it  knowing  exactly  what  it  was  all 
about ;  but  it  was  noticeable  that  there  was  bitterness  on  one 
side,  restricted  by  fear,  and  on  the  other  a  consciousness  of 
importance  and  power.  It  was  very  trying  to  Nekhludoff 
to  listen  to  all  this,  so  he  returned  to  the  question  of  arrang- 
ing the  amount  and  the  terms  of  the  rent. 

"  Well,  then,  how  about  the  land?  Do  you  wish  to  take 
it,  and  what  price  will  you  pay  if  I  let  you  have  the  whole 
of  it?" 

"  The  property  is  yours  :  it  is  for  you  to  fix  the  price." 

Nekhludoff  named  the  price.  Though  it  was  far  below 
that  paid  in  the  neighbourhood,  the  peasants  declared  it  too- 
high,  and  began  bargaining,  as  is  customary  among  them. 
Nekhludoff  thought  his  offer  would  be  accepted  with  pleas- 
ure, but  no  signs  of  pleasure  were  visible. 

*  The  greatest  thief  in  the  village. 


238  Resurrection 

One  thing  only  showed  Nekhludoff  that  his  offer  was  a 
profitable  one  to  the  peasants.  The  question  as  to  who 
would  rent  the  land,  the  whole  commune  or  a  special  so- 
ciety, was  put,  and  a  violent  dispute  arose  among  those 
peasants  who  were  in  favour  of  excluding  the  weak  and 
those  not  likely  to  pay  the  rent  regularly,  and  the  peasants 
who  would  have  to  be  excluded  on  that  score.  At  last, 
thanks  to  the  steward,  the  amount  and  the  terms  of  the 
rent  were  fixed,  and  the  peasants  went  down  the  hill  towards 
their  villages,  talking  noisily,  while  Nekhludoff  and  the 
steward  went  into  the  office  to  make  up  the  agreement. 
Everything  was  settled  in  the  way  Nekhludoff  wished  and 
expected  it  to  be.  The  peasants  had  their  land  30  per  cent, 
cheaper  than  they  could  have  got  it  anywhere  in  the  district, 
the  revenue  from  the  land  was  diminished  by  half,  but  was 
more  than  sufficient  for  Nekhludoff,  especially  as  there 
would  be  money  coming  in  for  a  forest  he  sold,  as  well  as 
for  the  agricultural  implements,  which  would  be  sold,  too. 
Everything  seemed  excellently  arranged,  yet  he  felt 
ashamed  of  something.  He  could  see  that  the  peasants, 
though  they  spoke  words  of  thanks,  were  not  satisfied,  and 
had  expected  something  greater.  So  it  turned  out  that  he 
had  deprived  himself  of  a  great  deal,  and  yet  not  done  what 
the  peasants  had  expected. 

The  next  day  the  agreement  was  signed,  and  accom- 
panied by  several  old  peasants,  who  had  been  chosen  as 
deputies,  Nekhludoff  went  out,  got  into  the  steward's  ele- 
gant equipage  (as  the  driver  from  the  station  had  called  it), 
said  "  good-bye  "  to  the  peasants,  who  stood  shaking  their 
heads  in  a  dissatisfied  and  disappointed  manner,  and  drove 
off  to  the  station.  Nekhludoff  was  dissatisfied  with  himself 
without  knowing  why,  but  all  the  time  he  felt  sad  and 
ashamed  of  something. 


Resurrection  239 


CHAPTER  III. 

OLD   ASSOCIATIONS. 

From  Kousminski  Nekhludoff  went  to  the  estate  he  had 
inherited  from  his  aunts,  the  same  where  he  first  met  Ka- 
tusha. He  meant  to  arrange  about  the  land  there  in  the 
way  he  had  done  in  Kousminski.  Besides  this,  he  wished 
to  find  out  all  he  could  about  Katusha  and  her  baby,  and 
when  and  how  it  had  died.  He  got  to  Panovo  early  one 
morning,  and  the  first  thing  that  struck  him  when  he  drove 
up  was  the  look  of  decay  and  dilapidation  that  all  the  build- 
ings bore,  especially  the  house  itself.  The  iron  roofs,  which 
had  once  been  painted  green,  looked  red  with  rust,  and  a 
few  sheets  of  iron  were  bent  back,  probably  by  a  storm. 
Some  of  the  planks  which  covered  the  house  from  outside 
were  torn  away  in  several  places ;  these  were  easier  to 
get  by  breaking  the  rusty  nails  that  held  them.  Both 
porches,  but  especially  the  side  porch  he  remembered  so 
well,  were  rotten  and  broken ;  only  the  banister  remained. 
Some  of  the  windows  were  boarded  up,  and  the  building 
in  which  the  foreman  lived,  the  kitchen,  the  stables — all 
were  grey  and  decaying.  Only  the  garden  had  not  decayed, 
but  had  grown,  and  was  in  full  bloom  ;  from  over  the  fence 
the  cherry,  apple,  and  plum  trees  looked  like  white  clouds. 
The  lilac  bushes  that  formed  the  hedge  were  in  full  bloom, 
as  they  had  been  when,  14  years  ago,  Nekhludoff  had 
played  gorclki  with  the  15-year-old  Katusha,  and  had 
fallen  and  got  his  hand  stung  by  the  nettles  behind  one  of 
those  lilac  bushes.  The  larch  that  his  aunt  Sophia  had 
planted  near  the  house,  which  then  was  only  a  short  stick, 
had  grown  into  a  tree,  the  trunk  of  which  would  have  made 
a  beam,  and  its  branches  were  covered  with  soft  yellow 
green  needles  as  with  down.  The  river,  now  within  its 
banks,  rushed  noisily  over  the  mill  dam.  The  meadow  the 
other  side  of  the  river  was  dotted  over  by  the  peasants' 
mixed  herds.  The  foreman,  a  student,  who  had  left  the 
seminary  without  finishing  the  course,  met  -Nekhludoff  in 


240  Resurrection 

the  yard,  with  a  smile  on  his  face,  and,  still  smiling,  asked 
him  to  come  into  the  office,  and,  as  if  promising  something 
exceptionally  good  by  this  smile,  ho  went  behind  a  partition. 
For  a  moment  some  whispering  was  heard  behind  the  parti- 
tion. The  isvostchik  who  had  driven  Nekhludoff  from  the 
station,  drove  away  after  receivinj  a  tip.  and  all  was  silent. 
Then  a  barefooted  girl  passed  the  window ;  she  had  on  an 
embroidered  peasant  blouse,  and  long  earrings  in  her  ears ; 
then  a  man  walked  past,  clattering  with  his  nailed  boots 
on  the  trodden  path. 

Nekhludoff  sat  down  by  the  little  casement,  and  looked 
out  into  the  garden  and  listened.  A  soft,  fresh  spring  breeze, 
smelling  of  newly-dug  earth,  streamed  in  through  the  win- 
dow, playing  with  the  hair  on  his  damp  forehead  and  the 
papers  that  lay  on  the  window-sill,  which  was  all  cut  about 
with  a  knife. 

'  Tra-pa-trop,  tra-pa-trop,"  comes  a  sound  from  the  river, 
as  the  women  who  were  washing  clothes  there  slapped  them 
in  regular  measure  with  their  wooden  bats,  and  the  sound 
spread  over  the  glittering  surface  of  the  mill  pond  while  the 
rhythmical  sound  of  the  falling  water  came  from  the  mill, 
and  a  frightened  fly  suddenly  flew  loudly  buzzing  past  his 
ear. 

And  all  at  once  Nekhludoff  remembered  how,  long  ago, 
when  he  was  young  and  innocent,  he  had  heard  the  women's 
wooden  bats  slapping  the  wet  clothes  above  the  rhythmical 
sound  from  the  mill,  and  in  the  same  way  the  spring  breeze 
had  blown  about  the  hair  on  his  wet  forehead  and  the  papers 
on  the  window-sill,  which  was  all  cut  about  with  a  knife,  and 
just  in  the  same  way  a  fly  had  buzzed  loudly  past  his  ear. 
It  was  not  exactly  that  he  remembered  himself  as  a  lad  of  18, 
but  he  seemed  to  feel  himself  the  same  as  he  was  then,  with 
the  same  freshness  and  purity,  and  full  of  the  same  grand 
possibilities  for  the  future,  and  at  the  same  time,  as  it  hap- 
pens in  a  dream,  he  knew  that  all  this  could  be  no  more,  and 
he  felt  terribly  sad. 

"  At  what  time  would  you  like  something  to  eat  ?  "  asked 
the  foreman,  with  a  smile. 

'  When  you  like ;  I  am  not  hungry.  I  shall  go  for  a  walk 
through  the  village." 

'  Would  you  not  like  to  come  into  the  house?  Everything 
is  in  order  there.  Have  the  goodness  to  look  in.  If  the  out- 
side  " 


Resurrection  241 

"  Not  now ;  later  on.  Tell  me,  please,  have  you  got  a 
woman  here  called  Matrona  Kharina?  (This  was  Katusha's 
aunt,  the  village  midwife.) 

"  Oh,  yes ;  in  the  village  she  keeps  a  secret  pot-house.  I 
know  she  does,  and  I  accuse  her  of  it  and  scold  her ;  but  as  to 
taking  her  up,  it  would  be  a  pity.  An  old  woman,  you  know ; 
she  has  grandchildren,"  said  the  foreman,  continuing  to 
smile  in  the  same  manner,  partly  wishing  to  be  pleasant  to 
the  master,  and  partly  because  he  was  convinced  that  Nekh- 
ludoff  understood  all  these  matters  just  as  well  as  he  did 
himself. 

'  Where  does  she  live  ?    I  shall  go  across  and  see  her." 

"  At  the  end  of  the  village ;  the  further  side,  the  third  from 
the  end.  To  the  1  dt  there  is  a  brick  cottage,  and  her  hut  is 
beyond  that.  But  I'd  better  see  you  there,"  the  foreman 
said  with  a  graceful  smile. 

"  No,  thanks,  I  shall  find  it ;  and  you  be  so  good  as  to  call  a 
meeting  of  the  peasants,  and  tell  them  that  I  want  to  speak  to 
them  about  the  land,"  said  Nekhludoff,  with  the  intention  of 
coming  to  the  same  agreement  with  the  peasants  here  as  he 
had  done  in  Kousminski,  and,  if  possible,  that  same  evening. 


242  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE   PEASANTS'   LOT. 


When  Nekhludoff  came  out  of  the  gate  he  met  the  girl 
with  the  long  earrings  on  the  well-trodden  path  that  lay 
across  the  pasture  ground,  overgrown  with  dock  and  plan- 
tain leaves.  She  had  a  long,  brightly-coloured  apron  on,  and 
was  quickly  swinging  her  left  arm  in  front  of  herself  as  she 
stepped  briskly  with  her  fat,  bare  feet.  With  her  right  arm 
she  was  pressing  a  fowl  to  her  stomach.  The  fowl,  with  red 
comb  shaking,  seemed  perfectly  calm  ;  he  only  rolled  up  his 
eyes  and  stretched  out  and  drew  in  one  black  leg,  clawing  the 
girl's  apron.  When  the  girl  came  nearer  to  "  the  master," 
she  began  moving  more  slowly,  and  her  run  changed  into  a 
walk.  When  she  came  up  to  him  she  stopped,  and,  after  a 
backward  jerk  with  her  head,  bowed  to  him ;  and  only  when 
he  had  passed  did  she  recommence  to  run  homeward  with 
the  cock.  As  he  went  down  towards  the  well,  he  met  an  old 
woman,  who  had  a  coarse,  dirty  blouse  on,  carrying  two 
pails  full  of  water,  that  hung  on  a  yoke  across  her  bent  back. 
The  old  woman  carefully  put  down  the  pails  and  bowed, 
with  the  same  backward  jerk  of  her  head. 

After  passing  the  well  Nekhludoff  entered  the  village.  It 
was  a  bright,  hot  day,  and  oppressive,  though  only  ten 
o'clock.  At  intervals  the  sun  was  hidden  by  the  gathering 
clouds.  An  unpleasant,  sharp  smell  of  manure  filled  the  air 
in  the  street.  It  came  from  carts  going  up  the  hillside,  but 
chiefly  from  the  disturbed  manure  heaps  in  the  yards  of  the 
huts,  by  the  open  gates  of  which  Nekhludoff  had  to  pass. 
The  peasants,  barefooted,  their  shirts  and  trousers  soiled 
with  manure,  turned  to  look  at  the  tall,  stout  gentleman  with 
the  glossy  silk  ribbon  on  his  grey  hat  who  was  walking  up 
the  village  street,  touching  the  ground  every  other  step  with 
a  shiny,  bright-knobbed  walking-stick.  The  peasants  re- 
turning from  the  fields  at  a  trot  and  jolting  in  their  empty 
carts,  took  off  their  hats,  and,  in  their  surprise,   followed 


Resurrection  243 

with  their  eyes  the  extraordinary  man  who  was  walking  up 
their  street.  The  women  came  out  of  the  gates  or  stood  in 
the  porches  of  their  huts,  pointing  him  out  to  each  other  and 
gazing  at  him  as  he  passed. 

When  Nekhludoff  was  passing  the  fourth  gate,  he  was 
stopped  Uv  a  cart  that  was  coming  out,  its  wheels  creaking, 
loaded  high  with  manure,  which  was  pressed  down,  and  was 
covered  with  a  mat  to  sit  on.  A  six-year-old  boy,  excited  by 
the  prospect  of  a  drive,  followed  the  cart.  A  young  peasant, 
with  shoes  plaited  out  of  bark  on  his  feet,  led  the  horse  out 
of  the  yard.  A  long-legged  colt  jumped  out  of  the  gate ;  but, 
seeing  Nekhludoff,  pressed  close  to  the  cart,  and  scraping  its 
legs  against  the  wheels,  jumped  forward,  past  its  excited, 
gently-neighing  mother,  as  she  was  dragging  the  heavy 
load  through  the  gateway.  The  next  horse  was  led  out  by  a 
barefooted  old  man,  with  protruding  shoulder-blades,  in  a 
dirty  shirt  and  striped  trousers. 

When  the  horses  got  out  on  to  the  hard  road,  strewn  over 
with  bits  of  dry,  grey  manure,  the  old  man  returned  to  the 
gate,  and  bowed  to  Nekhludoff. 

"  You  are  our  ladies'  nephew,  aren't  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  am  their  nephew." 

"  You've  kindly  come  to  look  us  up,  eh?  "  said  the  garru- 
lous old  man. 

'  Yes,  I  have.    Well,  how  are  you  getting  on  ?  " 

"  How  do  we  get  on  ?  We  get  on  very  badly,"  the  old 
man  drawled,  as  if  it  gave  him  pleasure. 

'  Why  so  badly?"  Nekhludoff  asked,  stepping  inside  the 
gate. 

'  What  is  our  life  but  the  very  worst  life?  "  said  the  old 
man,  following  Nekhludoff  into  that  part  of  the  yard  which 
was  roofed  over. 

Nekhludoff  stopped  under  the  roof. 

"  I  have  got  12  of  them  there,"  continued  the  old  man, 
pointing  to  two  women  on  the  remainder  of  the  manure 
heap,  who  stood  perspiring  with  forks  in  their  hands,  the 
kerchiefs  tumbling  off  their  heads,  with  their  skirts  tucked 
up,  showing  the  calves  of  their  dirty,  bare  legs.  "  Not  a 
month  passes  but  I  have  to  buy  six  poods  *  of  corn,  and 
where's  the  money  to  come  from  ?  " 

'  Have  you  not  got  enough  corn  of  your  own  ?  " 

"  My  own?"  repeated  the  old  man,  with  a  smile  of  con- 
*  Pood — 36    English    pounds. 


244  Resurrection 

tempt ;  "  why  I  have  only  got  land  for  three,  and  last  year  we 
had  not  enough  to  last  till  Christmas." 
"  What  do  you  do  then  ?  " 

"  What  do  we  do  ?     Why,  I  hire  out  as  a  labourer ;  and 
then  I  borrowed  some  money  from  your  honour.    We  spent 
it  all  before  Lent,  and  the  tax  is  not  paid  yet." 
"  And  how  much  is  the  tax?  " 

"  Why,  it's  17  roubles  for  my  household.  Oh,  Lord,  such 
a  life !  One  hardlv  knows  one's  self  how  one  manages  to  live 
it." 

"  May  I  go  into  your  hut  ?  "  asked  Nekhludoff,  stepping 
across  the  yard  over  the  yellow-brown  layers  of  manure  that 
had  been  raked  up  by  the  forks,  and  were  giving  off  a  strong 
smell. 

"Why  not?  Come  in,"  said  the  old  man,  and  stepping 
quickly  with  his  bare  feet  over  the  manure,  the  liquid  oozing 
between  his  toes,  he  passed  Nekhludoff  and  opened  the  door 
of  the  hut. 

The  women  arranged  the  kerchiefs  on  their  heads  and  let 
down  their  skirts,  and  stood  looking  with  surprise  at  the 
clean  gentleman  with  gold  studs  to  his  sleeves  who  was  en- 
tering their  house.  Two  little  girls,  with  nothing  on  but 
coarse  chemises,  rushed  out  of  the  hut.  Nekhludoff  took  off 
his  hat,  and,  stooping  to  get  through  the  low  door,  entered, 
through  a  passage  into  the  dirty,  narrow  hut,  that  smelt  of 
sour  food,  and  where  much  space  was  taken  up  by  two  weav- 
ing looms.  In  the  hut  an  old  woman  was  standing  by  the 
stove,  with  the  sleeves  rolled  up  over  her  thin,  sinewy  brown 
arms. 

"  Here  is  our  master  come  to  see  us,"  said  the  old  man. 
"  I'm  sure  he's  very  welcome,"  said  the  old  woman,  kindly. 
"  I  would  like  to  see  how  you  live." 

"  Well,  you  see  how  we  live.  The  hut  is  coming  down, 
and  might  kill  one  any  day ;  but  my  old  man  he  says  it's 
good  enough,  and  so  we  live  like  kings,"  said  the  brisk  old 
woman,  nervously  jerking  her  head.  :<  I'm  getting  the 
dinner ;  going  to  feed  the  workers." 

"  And  what  are  you  going  to  have  for  dinner?  " 
"  Our  food  is  very  good.    First  course,  bread  and  kvas;* 
second  course,  kvas  and  bread,"  said  the  old  woman,  show- 
ing her  teeth,  which  were  half  worn  away. 

"  No,"  seriously;  "  let  me  see  what  you  are  going  to  eat." 
*  Kvas,  a  kind  of  sour,  non-intoxicant  beer  made  of  rye. 


Resurrection  245 

'To  eat?"  said  the  old  man,  laughing.  "Ours  is  not 
a  very  cunning  meal.    You  just  show  him,  wife." 

'  Want  to  see  our  peasant  food  ?  Well,  you  are  an  in- 
quisitive gentleman,  now  I  come  to  look  at  you.  He  wants 
to  know  everything.  Did  I  not  tell  you  bread  and  kvas? 
and  then  we'll  have  soup.  A  woman  brought  us  some  fish, 
and  that's  what  the  soup  is  made  of,  and  after  that, 
potatoes." 

"  Nothing  more  ?  " 

'  What  more  do  you  want  ?  We'll  also  have  a  little  milk," 
said  the  old  woman,  looking  towards  the  door.  The  door 
stood  open,  and  the  passage  outside  was  full  of  people — ■ 
boys,  girls,  women  with  babies — thronged  together  to  look 
at  the  strange  gentleman  who  wanted  to  see  the  peasants' 
food.  The  old  woman  seemed  to  pride  herself  on  the  way 
she  behaved  with  a  gentleman. 

'  Yes,  it's  a  miserable  life,  ours ;  that  goes  without  saying, 
sir,"  said  the  old  man.  "  What  are  you  doing  there?  "  he 
shouted  to  those  in  the  passage. 

'  Well,  good-bye,"  said  Nekhludoff,  feeling  ashamed  and 
uneasy,  though  unable  to  account  for  the  feeling. 

'  Thank  you  kindly  for  having  looked  us  up,"  said  the 
old  man. 

The  people  in  the  passage  pressed  closer  together  to  let 
Nekhludoff  pass,  and  he  went  out  and  continued  his  way  up 
the  street. 

Two  barefooted  boys  followed  him  out  of  the  passage — 
the  elder  in  a  shirt  that  had  once  been  white,  the  other  in 
a  worn  and  faded  pink  one.  Nekhludoff  looked  back  at 
them. 

"  And  where  are  you  going  now  ?  "  asked  the  boy  with 
the  white  shirt.    Nekhludoff  answered  : 

'  To  Matrona  Kharina.    Do  you  know  her?  " 

The  boy  with  the  pink  shirt  began  laughing  at  something; 
but  the  elder  asked,  seriously  : 

"  What  Matrona  is  that  ?    Is  she  old  ?  " 

"  Yes,  she  is  old." 

"  Oh — oh,"  he  drawled ;  "  that  one  ;  she's  at  the  other  end 
of  the  village;  we'll  show  you.  Yes,  Fedka,  we'll  go  with 
him.     Shall  we?" 

"  Yes,  but  the  horses  ?  " 

"  They'll  be  all  right,  I  dare  say." 

Fedka  agreed,  and  all  three  went  up  the  street. 


246 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER   V. 

maslova's  aunt. 

Nekhludoff  felt  more  at  ease  with  the  boys  than  with 
the  grown-up  people,  and  he  began  talking  to  them  as  they 
went  along.  The  little  one  with  the  pink  shirt  stopped 
laughing,  and  spoke  as  sensibly  and  as  exactly  as  the  elder 
one. 

"  Can  you  tell  me  who  are  the  poorest  people  you  have 
got  here  ?  "  asked  Nekhludoff. 

'The  poorest?  Michael  is  poor,  Simon  Makaroff,  and 
Martha,  she  is  very  poor." 

"  And  Anisia,  she  is  still  poorer ;  she's  not  even  got  a  cow. 
They  go  begging,"  said  little  Fedka. 

"  She's  not  got  a  cow,  but  they  are  only  three  persons, 
and  Martha's  family  are  five,"  objected  the  elder  boy. 

"  But  the  other's  a  widow,"  the  pink  boy  said,  standing 
up  for  Anisia. 

'  You  say  Anisia  is  a  widow,  and  Martha  is  no  better  than 
a  widow,"  said  the  elder  boy ;  "  she's  also  no  husband." 

"  And  where  is  her  husband  ?  "  Nekhludoff  asked. 

"  Feeding  vermin  in  prison,"  said  the  elder  boy,  using  this 
expression,  common  among  the  peasants. 

'  A  year  ago  he  cut  down  two  birch  trees  in  the  land- 
lord's forest,"  the  little  pink  boy  hurried  to  say,  "  so  he  was 
locked  up ;  now  he's  sitting  the  sixth  month  there,  and  the 
wife  goes  begging.  There  are  three  children  and  a  sick 
grandmother,"  he  went  on  with  his  detailed  account. 

"  And  where  does  she  live?"  Nekhludoff  asked. 

'  In  this  very  house,"  answered  the  boy,  pointing  to  a  hut, 
in  front  of  which,  on  the  footpath  along  which  Nekhludoff 
was  walking,  a  tiny,  flaxen-headed  infant  stood  balancing 
himself  with  difficulty  on  his  rickety  legs. 

'  Vaska !  Where's  the  little  scamp  got  to  ?  "  shouted  a 
woman,  with  a  dirty  grey  blouse,  and  a  frightened  look,  as 
she  ran  out  of  the  house,  and,  rushing  forward,  seized  the 
baby  before  Nekhludoff  came  up  to  it,  and  carried  it  in,  just 


Resurrection  247 

as    if   she    were    afraid    that    Nekhludoff    would    hurt    her 
child. 

This  was  the  woman  whose  husband  was  imprisoned  for 
Nekhludoff' s  birch  trees. 

'  Well,  and  this  Matrona,  is  she  also  poor?  "  Nekhludoff 
asked,  as  they  came  up  to  Matrona's  house. 

"  She  poor?  No.  Why,  she  sells  spirits,"  the  thin,  pink- 
little  boy  answered  decidedly. 

When  they  reached  the  house  Nekhludoff  left  the  boys 
outside  and  went  through  the  passage  into  the  hut.  The 
hut  was  14  feet  long.  The  bed  that  stood  behind  the  big 
stove  was  not  long  enough  for  a  tall  person  to  stretch  out 
on.  "  And  on  this  very  bed,"  Nekhludoff  thought,  "  Ka- 
tusha  bore  her  baby  and  lay  ill  afterwards."  The  greater 
part  of  the  hut  was  taken  up  by  a  loom,  on  which  the  old 
woman  and  her  eldest  granddaughter  were  arranging  the 
warp  when  Nekhludoff  came  in,  striking  his  forehead 
against  the  low  doorway.  Two  other  grandchildren  came 
rushing  in  after  Nekhludoff,  and  stopped,  holding  on  to  the 
lintels  of  the  door. 

'  Whom  do  you  want  ?  "  asked  the  old  woman,  crossly. 
She  was  in  a  bad  temper  because  she  could  not  manage  to 
get  the  warp  right,  and,  besides,  carrying  on  an  illicit  trade 
in  spirits,  she  was  always  afraid  when  any  stranger  came  in. 

"  I  am — the  owner  of  the  neighbouring  estates,  and  should 
like  to  speak  to  you." 

"  Dear  me ;  why,  it's  you,  my  honey ;  and  I,  fool,  thought 

it  was  just  some  passer-by.     Dear  me,  you it's  you,  my 

precious,"  said  the  old  woman,  with  simulated  tenderness  in 
her  voice. 

"  I  should  like  to  speak  to  you  alone,"  said  Nekhludoff, 
with  a  glance  towards  the  door,  where  the  children  were 
standing,  and  behind  them  a  woman  holding  a  wasted,  pale 
baby,  with  a  sickly  smile  on  its  face,  who  had  a  little  cap 
made  of  different  bits  of  stuff  on  its  head. 

'  What  are  you  staring  at?  I'll  give  it  you.  Just  hand 
me  my  crutch,"  the  old  woman  shouted  to  those  at  the  door. 
"  Shut  the  door,  will  you !  " 

The  children  went  away,  and  the  woman  closed  the  door. 

"  And  I  was  thinking,  who's  that?  And  it's  '  the  master  ' 
himself.  My  jewel,  my  treasure.  Just  think,"  said  the  old 
woman,  "  where  he  has  deigned  to  come.  Sit  down  here, 
your  honour,"  she  said,  wiping  the  seat  with  her  apron.  "And 


248  Resurrection 

I  was  thinking  what  devil  is  it  coming  in,  and  it's  your 
honour,  '  the  master  '  himself,  the  good  gentleman,  our  bene- 
factor.    Forgive  me,  old  fool  that  I  am ;  I'm  getting  blind." 

Nekhludoff  sat  down,  and  the  old  woman  stood  in  front 
of  him,  leaning  her  cheek  on  her  right  hand,  while  the  left 
held  up  the  sharp  elbow  of  her  right  arm. 

"  Dear  me,  you  have  grown  old,  your  honour;  and  you 
used  to  be  as  fresh  as  a  daisy.  And  now !  Cares  also,  I 
expect?  " 

"  This  is  what  I  have  come  about :  Do  you  remember 
Katusha  Maslova?" 

"  Katerina  ?  I  should  think  so.  Why,  she  is  my  niece. 
How  could  I  help  remembering ;  and  the  tears  I  have  shed 
because  of  her.  Why,  I  know  all  about  it.  Eh,  sir,  who  has 
not  sinned  before  God  ?  who  has  not  offended  against  the 
Tsar?  We  know  what  youth  is.  You  used  to  be  drinking 
tea  and  coffee,  so  the  devil  got  hold  of  you.  He  is  strong 
at  times.  What's  to  be  done?  Now,  if  you  had  chucked 
her;  but  no,  just  see  how  you  rewarded  her,  gave  her  a 
hundred  roubles.  And  she?  What  has  she  done?  Had  she 
but  listened  to  me  she  might  have  lived  all  right.  I  must  say 
the  truth,  though  she  is  my  niece :  that  girl's  no  good.  What 
a  good  place  I  found  her !  She  would  not  submit,  but 
abused  her  master.  Is  it  for  the  likes  of  us  to  scold  gentle- 
folk ?  Well,  she  was  sent  away.  And  then  at  the  forester's. 
She  might  have  lived  there ;  but  no,  she  would  not." 

"  I  want  to  know  about  the  child.  She  was  confined  at 
your  house,  was  she  not?   Where's  the  child?  " 

"  As  to  the  child,  I  considered  that  well  at  the  time.  She 
was  so  bad  I  never  thought  she  would  get  up  again.  Well, 
so  I  christened  the  baby  quite  properly,  and  we  sent  it  to 
the  Foundlings'.  Why  should  one  let  an  innocent  soul 
languish  when  the  mother  is  dying?  Others  do  like  this: 
they  just  leave  the  baby,  don't  feed  it,  and  it  wastes  away. 
But,  thinks  I,  no ;  I'd  rather  take  some  trouble,  and  send  it 
to  the  Foundlings'.  There  was  monev  enough,  so  I  sent 
it  off." 

"  Did  you  not  get  its  registration  number  from  the 
Foundlings'  Hospital  ?  " 

'  Yes,  there  was  a  number,  but  the  baby  died,"  she  said. 
"  It  died  as  soon  as  she  brought  it  there." 

"Who  is  she?" 

"  That  same  woman  who  used  to  live  in  Skorodno.    She 


Resurrection  249 

made  a  business  of  it.  Her  name  was  Malania.  She's  dead 
now.  She  was  a  wise  woman.  What  do  you  think  she  used 
to  do?  They'd  bring  her  a  baby,  and  she'd  keep  it  and  feed 
it ;  and  she'd  feed  it  until  she  had  enough  of  them  to  take 
to  the  Foundlings'.  When  she  had  three  or  four,  she'd  take 
them  all  at  once.  She  had  such  a  clever  arrangement,  a 
sort  of  big  cradle — a  double  one — she  could  put  them  in 
one  way  or  the  other.  It  had  a  handle.  So  she'd  put  four 
of  them  in,  feet  to  feet  and  the  heads  apart,  so  that  they 
should  not  knock  against  each  other.  And  so  she  took  four 
at  once.  She'd  put  some  pap  in  a  rag  into  their  mouths  to 
keep  'em  silent,  the  pets." 

"  Well,  go  on." 

'  Well,  she  took  Katerina's  baby  in  the  same  way,  after 
keeping  it  a  fortnight,  I  believe.  It  was  in  her  house  it 
began  to  sicken." 

"  And  was  it  a  fine  baby?  "  Nekhludoff  asked. 

"  Such  a  baby,  that  if  you  wanted  a  finer  you  could  not  find 
one.    Your  very  image,"  the  old  woman  added,  with  a  wink. 

"  Why  did  it  sicken  ?  Was  the  food  bad  ?  " 

"  Eh,  what  food?  Only  just  a  pretence  of  food.  Naturally, 
when  it's  not  one's  own  child.  Only  enough  to  get  it  there 
alive.  She  said  she  just  managed  to  get  it  to  Moscow,  and 
there  it  died.  She  brought  a  certificate — all  in  order.  She 
was  such  a  wise  woman." 

That  was  all  Nekhludoff  could  find  out  concerning  his 
child. 


250  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  VI. 

REFLECTIONS   OF   A    LANDLORD. 

Again  striking  his  head  against  both  doors,  Nekhludoff 
went  out  into  the  street,  where  the  pink  and  the  white  boys 
were  waiting  for  him.  A  few  newcomers  were  standing  with 
them.  Among  the  women,  of  whom  several  had  babies  in 
their  arms,  was  the  thin  woman  with  the  baby  who  had  the 
patchwork  cap  on  its  head.  She  held  lightly  in  her  arms 
the  bloodless  infant,  who  kept  strangely  smiling  all  over  its 
wizened  little  face,  and  continually  moving  its  crooked 
thumbs. 

Nekhludoff  knew  the  smile  to  be  one  of  suffering.  He 
asked  who  the  woman  was. 

"  It  is  that  very  Anisia  I  told  you  about,"  said  the  elder 
boy. 

Nekhludoff  turned  to  Anisia. 

"How  do  you  live?"  he  asked.  "By  what  means  do 
you  gain  your  livelihood?" 

"  How  do  I  live?  I  go  begging,"  said  Anisia,  and  began 
to  cry. 

Nekhludoff  took  out  his  pocket-book,  and  gave  the 
woman  a  10-rouble  note.  He  had  not  had  time  to  take  two 
steps  before  another  woman  with  a  baby  caught  him  up, 
then  an  old  woman,  then  another  young  one.  All  of  them 
spoke  of  their  poverty,  and  asked  for  help.  Nekhludoff 
gave  them  the  60  roubles — all  in  small  notes — which  he  had 
with  him,  and,  terribly  sad  at  heart,  turned  home,  i.e.,  to 
the  foreman's  house. 

The  foreman  met  Nekhludoff  with  a  smile,  and  informed 
him  that  the  peasants  would  come  to  the  meeting  in  the 
evening.  Nekhludoff  thanked  him,  and  went  straight  into 
the  garden  to  stroll  along  the  paths  strewn  over  with  the 
petals  of  apple-blossom  and  overgrown  with  weeds,  and  to 
think  over  all  he  had  seen. 

At  first  all  was  quiet,  but  soon  Nekhludoff  heard  from 
behind  the  foreman's  house  two  angry  women's  voices  in- 


Resurrection  251 

terrupting  each  other,  and  now  and  then  the  voice  of  the 
ever-smiling  foreman.    Nekhludoff  listened. 

'  My  strength's  at  an  end.   What  are  yon  about,  dragging 

the  very  cross*  off  my  neck,"  said  an  angry  woman's  voice. 

'  But  she  only  got  in  for  a  moment,"  said  another  voice. 

Give  it  her  back,  I  tell  you.    Why  do  you  torment  the  beast, 

and  the  children,  too,  who  want  their  milk?  " 

'  Pay,  then,  or  work  it  off,"  said  the  foreman's  voice. 

Nekhludoff  left  the  garden  and  entered  the  porch,  near 
which  stood  two  dishevelled  women — one  of  them  pregnant 
and  evidently  near  her  time.  On  one  of  the  steps  of  the 
porch,  with  his  hands  in  the  pockets  of  his  holland  coat, 
stood  the  foreman.  When  they  saw  the  master,  the  women 
were  silent,  and  began  arranging  the  kerchiefs  on  their 
heads,  and  the  foreman  took  his  hands  out  of  his  pockets 
and  began  to  smile. 

This  is  what  had  happened.  From  the  foreman's  words, 
it  seemed  that  the  peasants  were  in  the  habit  of  letting  their 
calves  and  even  their  cows  into  the  meadow  belonging  to 
the  estate.  Two  cows  belonging  to  the  families  of  these  two 
women  were  found  in  the  meadow,  and  driven  into  the 
yard.  The  foreman  demanded  from  the  women  30  copecks 
for  each  cow  or  two  days'  work.  The  women,  however, 
maintained  that  the  cows  had  got  into  the  meadow  of  their 
own  accord ;  that  they  had  no  money,  and  asked  that  the 
cows,  which  had  stood  in  the  blazing  sun  since  morning 
without  food,  piteously  lowing,  should  be  returned  to  them, 
even  if  it  had  to  be  on  the  understanding  that  the  price 
should  be  worked  off  later  on. 

'  How  often  have  I  not  begged  of  you,"  said  the  smiling 
foreman,  looking  back  at  Nekhludoff  as  if  calling  upon 
him  to  be  a  witness,  "  if  you  drive  your  cattle  home  at  noon, 
that  you  should  have  an  eye  on  them  ?  " 

'  I  only  ran  to  my  little  one  for  a  bit,  and  they  got  away." 

'  Don't  run  away  when  you  have  undertaken  to  watch 
the  cows." 

"And  who's  to  feed  the  little  one?  You'd  not  give  him 
the  breast,  I  suppose?"  said  the  other  woman.  "Now,  if 
they  had  really  damaged  the  meadow,  one  would  not  take  it 
so  much  to  heart ;  but  they  only  strayed  in  a  moment." 

"  All  the  meadows  are  damaged,"  the  foreman  said,  turn- 

*  Those  baptized  in  the  Russo-Greek  Church  always  wear  a  cross 
round  their  necks. 


252  Resurrection 

ing  to  Nekhludoff.     "  If  I  exact  no  penalty  there  will  be  no 
hay." 

'  There,  now,  don't  go  sinning  like  that ;  my  cows  have 
never  been  caught  there  before,"  shouted  the  pregnant 
woman. 

''  Now  that  one  has  been  caught,  pay  up  or  work  it  off." 

"  All  right,  I'll  work  it  off ;  only  let  me  have  the  cow  now, 
don't  torture  her  with  hunger,"  she  cried,  angrily.  "  As  it 
is,  I  have  no  rest  day  or  night.  Mother-in-law  is  ill,  husband 
taken  to  drink;  I'm  all  alone  to  do  all  the  work,  and  my 
strength's  at  an  end.  I  wish  you'd  choke,  you  and  your 
working  it  off." 

Nekhludoff  asked  the  foreman  to  let  the  women  take  the 
cows,  and  went  back  into  the  garden  to  go  on  thinking  out 
his  problem,  but  there  was  nothing  more  to  think  about. 

Everything  seemed  so  clear  to  him  now  that  he  could  not 
stop  wondering  how  it  was  that  everybody  did  not  see  it,  and 
that  he  himself  had  for  such  a  long  while  not  seen  what  was 
so  clearly  evident.  The  people  were  dying  out,  and  had  got 
used  to  the  dying-out  process,  and  had  formed  habits  of  life 
adapted  to  this  process  :  there  was  the  great  mortality  among 
the  children,  the  over-working  of  the  women,  the  under- 
feeding, especially  of  the  aged.  And  so  gradually  had  the 
people  come  to  this  condition  that  they  did  not  realise  the  full 
horrors  of  it,  and  did  not  complain.  Therefore,  we  consider 
their  condition  natural  and  as  it  should  be.  Now  it  seemed 
as  clear  as  daylight  that  the  chief  cause  of  the  people's  great 
want  was  one  that  they  themselves  knew  and  always  pointed 
out,  i.e.,  that  the  land  which  alone  could  feed  them  had  been 
taken  from  them  by  the  landlords. 

And  how  evident  it  was  that  the  children  and  the  aged 
died  because  they  had  no  milk,  and  they  had  no  milk  because 
there  was  no  pasture  land,  and  no  land  to  grow  corn  or  make 
hay  on.  It  was  quite  evident  that  all  the  misery  of  the  people 
or,  at  least  by  far  the  greater  part  of  it,  was  caused  by  the 
fact  that  the  land  which  should  feed  them  was  not  in  their 
hands,  but  in  the  hands  of  those  who,  profiting  by  their 
rights  to  the  land,  live  by  the  work  of  these  people.  The 
land  so  much  needed  by  men  was  tilled  by  these  people,  who 
were  on  the  verge  of  starvation,  so  that  the  corn  might  be 
sold  abroad  and  the  owners  of  the  land  might  buy  themselves 
hats  and  canes,  and  carriages  and  bronzes,  etc.  He  under- 
stood this  as  clearly  as  he  understood  that  horses  when  they 


Resurrection  253 

have  eaten  all  the  grass  in  the  inclosure  where  they  are  kept 
will  have  to  grow  thin  and  starve  unless  they  are  put  where 
they  can  get  food  off  other  land. 

This  was  terrible,  and  must  not  go  on.  Means  must  be 
found  to  alter  it,  or  at  least  not  to  take  part  in  it.  "  And  I 
will  find  them,"  he  thought,  as  he  walked  up  and  down  the 
path  under  the  birch  trees. 

In  scientific  circles,  Government  institutions,  and  in  the 
papers  we  talk  about  the  causes  of  the  poverty  among  the 
people  and  the  means  of  ameliorating  their  condition ;  but  we 
do  not  talk  of  the  only  sure  means  which  would  certainly 
lighten  their  condition,  i.e.,  giving  back  to  them  the  land 
they  need  so  much. 

Henry  George's  fundamental  position  recurred  vividly  to 
his  mind  and  how  he  had  once  been  carried  away  by  it,  and 
he  was  surprised  that  he  could  have  forgotten  it.  The  earth 
cannot  be  any  one's  property  ;  it  cannot  be  bought  or  sold  any 
more  than  water,  air,  or  sunshine.  All  have  an  equal  right 
to  the  advantages  it  gives  to  men.  And  now  he  knew  why 
he  had  felt  ashamed  to  remember  the  transaction  at  Kous- 
minski.  He  had  been  deceiving  himself.  He  knew  that  no 
man  could  have  a  right  to  own  land,  yet  he  had  accepted 
this  right  as  his,  and  had  given  the  peasants  something 
which,  in  the  depth  of  his  heart,  he  knew  he  had  no  right  to. 
Now  he  would  not  act  in  this  way,  and  would  alter  the  ar- 
rangement in  Kousminski  also.  And  he  formed  a  project  in 
his  mind  to  let  the  land  to  the  peasants,  and  to  acknowledge 
the  rent  they  paid  for  it  to  be  their  property,  to  be  kept  to 
pay  the  taxes  and  for  communal  uses.  This  was,  of  course, 
not  the  single-tax  system,  still  it  was  as  near  an  approach  to 
it  as  could  be  had  under  existing  circumstances.  His  chief 
consideration,  however,  was  that  in  this  way  he  would  no 
longer  profit  by  the  possession  of  landed  property. 

When  he  returned  to  the  house  the  foreman,,  with  a  spe- 
cially pleasant  smile,  asked  him  if  he  would  not  have  his 
dinner  now,  expressing  the  fear  that  the  feast  his  wife  was 
preparing,  with  the  help  of  the  girl  with  the  earrings,  might 
be  overdone. 

The  table  was  covered  with  a  coarse,  unbleached  cloth  and 
an  embroidered  towel  was  laid  on  it  in  lieu  of  a  napkin.  A 
vieux-saxe  soup  tureen  with  a  broken  handle  stood  on  the 
table,  full  of  potato  soup,  the  stock  made  of  the  fowl  that  had 
put  out  and  drawn  in  his  black  leg,  and  was  now  cut,  or 


254  Resurrection 

rather  chopped,  in  pieces,  which  were  here  and  there  covered 
with  hairs.  After  the  soup  more  of  the  same  fowl  with  the 
hairs  was  served  roasted,  and  then  curd  pasties,  very  greasy, 
and  with  a  great  deal  of  sugar.  Little  appetising  as  all  this 
was,  Nekhludoff  hardly  noticed  what  he  was  eating ;  he  was 
occupied  with  the  thought  which  had  in  a  moment  dispersed 
the  sadness  with  which  he  had  returned  from  the  village. 

The  foreman's  wife  kept  looking  in  at  the  door,  whilst  the 
frightened  maid  with  the  earrings  brought  in  the  dishes ; 
and  the  foreman  smiled  more  and  more  joyfully,  priding 
himself  on  his  wife's  culinary  skill.  After  dinner,  Nekhlu- 
doff succeeded,  with  some  trouble,  in  making  the  foreman  sit 
down.  In  order  to  revise  his  own  thoughts,  and  to  express 
them  to  some  one,  he  explained  his  project  of  letting  the  land 
to  the  peasants,  and  asked  the  foreman  for  his  opinion.  The 
foreman,  smiling  as  if  he  had  thought  all  this  himself  long 
ago,  and  was  very  pleased  to  hear  it,  did  not  really  under- 
stand it  at  all.  This  was  not  because  Nekhludoff  did  not 
express  himself  clearly,  but  because  according  to  this  project 
it  turned  out  that  Nekhludoff  was  giving  up  his  own  profit 
for  the  profit  of  others,  and  the  thought  that  every  one  is 
only  concerned  about  his  own  profit,  to  the  harm  of  others, 
was  so  deeply  rooted  in  the  foreman's  conceptions  that  he 
imagined  he  did  not  understand  something  when  Nekhludoff 
said  that  all  the  income  from  the  land  must  be  placed  to  form 
the  communal  capital  of  the  peasants. 

"  Oh,  I  see ;  then  you,  of  course,  will  receive  the  percent- 
ages from  that  capital,"  said  the  foreman,  brightening  up. 

'  Dear  me !  no.  Don't  you  see,  I  am  giving  up  the  land 
altogether." 

'  But  then  you  will  not  get  any  income,"  said  the  foreman, 
smiling  no  longer. 

"  Yes,  I  am  going  to  give  it  up." 

The  foreman  sighed  heavily,  and  then  began  smiling 
again.  Now  he  understood.  He  understood  that  Nekhlu- 
doff was  not  quite  normal,  and  at  once  began  to  consider 
how  he  himself  could  profit  by  Nekhludoff 's  project  of  giv- 
ing up  the  land,  and  tried  to  see  this  project  in  such  a  way 
that  he  might  reap  some  advantage  from  it.  But  when  he 
saw  that  this  was  impossible  he  grew  sorrowful,  and  the 
project  ceased  to  interest  him,  and  he  continued  to  smile 
only  in  order  to  please  the  master. 

Seeing  that  the  foreman  did  not  understand  him,  Nekh- 


Resurrection  255 

ludofT  let  him  go  and  sat  down  by  the  window-sill,  that  was 
all  cut  about  and  inked  over,  and  began  to  put  his  project 
down  on  paper. 

The  sun  went  down  behind  the  limes,  that  were  covered 
with  fresh  green,  and  the  mosquitoes  swarmed  in,  stinging 
Nekhludoff.  Just  as  he  finished  his  notes,  he  heard  the  low- 
ing of  cattle  and  the  creaking  of  opening  gates  from  the 
village,  and  the  voices  of  the  peasants  gathering  together 
for  the  meeting.  He  told  the  foreman  not  to  call  the  peas- 
ants up  to  the  office,  as  he  meant  to  go  into  the  village  him- 
self and  meet  the  men  where  they  would  assemble.  Having 
hurriedly  drank  a  cup  of  tea  offered  him  by  the  foreman, 
Nekhludoff  went  to  the  village. 


256 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE   DISINHERITED. 

From  the  crowd  assembled  in  front  of  the  house  of  the 
village  elder  came  the  sound  of  voices ;  but  as  soon  as 
Nekhludoff  came  up  the  talking  ceased,  and  all  the  peasants 
took  off  their  caps,  just  as  those  in  Kousminski  had  done. 
The  peasants  here  were  of  a  much  poorer  class  than  those  in 
Kousminski.  The  men  wore  shoes  made  of  bark  and  home- 
spun shirts  and  coats.  Some  had  come  straight  from  their 
work  in  their  shirts  and  with  bare  feet. 

Nekhludoff  made  an  effort,  and  began  his  speech  by  tell- 
ing the  peasants  of  his  intention  to  give  up  his  land  to  them 
altogether.  The  peasants  were  silent,  and  the  expression 
on  their  faces  did  not  undergo  any  change. 

"  Because  I  hold,"  said  Nekhludoff,  "  and  believe  that 
every  one  has  a  right  to  the  use  of  the  land." 

"  That's  certain.     That's  so,  exactly,"  said  several  voices. 

Nekhludoff  went  on  to  say  that  the  revenue  from  the  land 
ought  to  be  divided  among  all,  and  that  he  would  therefore 
suggest  that  they  should  rent  the  land  at  a  price  fixed  by 
themselves,  the  rent  to  form  a  communal  fund  for  their  own 
use.  Words  of  approval  and  agreement  were  still  to  be 
heard,  but  the  serious  faces  of  the  peasants  grew  still  more 
serious,  and  the  eyes  that  had  been  fixed  on  the  gentleman 
dropped,  as  if  they  were  unwilling  to  put  him  to  shame  by 
letting  him  see  that  every  one  had  understood  his  trick,  and 
that  no  one  would  be  deceived  by  him. 

Nekhludoff  spoke  clearly,  and  the  peasants  were  intelli- 
gent, but  they  did  not  and  could  not  understand  him,  for  the 
same  reason  that  the  foreman  had  so  long  been  unable  to 
understand  him. 

They  were  fully  convinced  that  it  is  natural  for  every 
man  to  consider  his  own  interest.  The  experience  of  many 
generations  had  proved  to  them  that  the  landlords  always 
considered  their  own  interest  to  the  detriment  of  the  peas- 


Resurrection  257 

ants.  Therefore,  if  a  landlord  called  them  to  a  meeting  and 
made  them  some  kind  of  a  new  offer,  it  could  evidently  only 
be  in  order  to  swindle  them  more  cunningly  than  before. 

"  Well,  then,  what  are  you  willing  to  rent  the  land  at?" 
asked  Nekhludoff. 

"  How  can  we  fix  a  price  ?  We  cannot  do  it.  The  land 
is  yours,  and  the  power  is  in  your  hands,"  answered  some 
voices  from  among  the  crowd. 

"  Oh,  not  at  all.  You  will  yourselves  have  the  use  of  the 
money  for  communal  purposes." 

'  We  cannot  do  it ;  the  commune  is  one  thing,  and  this  is 
another." 

"  Don't  you  understand?  "  said  the  foreman,  with  a  smile 
(he  had  followed  Nekhludoff  to  the  meeting),  "the  Prince 
is  letting  the  land  to  you  for  money,  and  is  giving  you  the 
money  back  to  form  a  capital  for  the  commune." 

'  We  understand  very  well,"  said  a  cross,  toothless  old 
man,  without  raising  his  eyes.  "  Something  like  a  bank ; 
we  should  have  to  pay  at  a  fixed  time.  We  do  not  wish  it ; 
it  is  hard  enough  as  it  is,  and  that  would  ruin  us  completely." 

'  That's  no  go.  We  prefer  to  go  on  the  old  way,"  began 
several  dissatisfied,  and  even  rude,  voices. 

The  refusals  grew  very  vehement  when  Nekhludoff  men- 
tioned that  he  would  draw  up  an  agreement  which  would 
have  to  be  signed  by  him  and  by  them. 

'  Why  sign  ?  We  shall  go  on  working  as  we  have  done 
hitherto.    What  is  all  this  for?    We  are  ignorant  men." 

'  We  can't  agree,  because  this  sort  of  thing  is  not  what 
we  have  been  used  to.  As  it  was,  so  let  it  continue  to  be. 
Only  the  seeds  we  should  like  to  withdraw." 

This  meant  that  under  the  present  arrangement  the  seeds 
had  to  be  provided  by  the  peasants,  and  they  wanted  the 
landlord  to  provide  them. 

'  Then  am  I  to  understand  that  you  refuse  to  accept  the 
land?"  Nekhludoff  asked,  addressing  a  middle-aged,  bare- 
footed peasant,  with  a  tattered  coat,  and  a  bright  look  on  his 
face,  who  was  holding  his  worn  cap  with  his  left  hand,  in 
a  peculiarly  straight  position,  in  the  same  way  soldiers  hold 
theirs  when  commanded  to  take  them  off. 

"  Just  so,"  said  this  peasant,  who  had  evidently  not  yet  rid 
himself  of  the  military  hypnotism  he  had  been  subjected  to 
while  serving  his  time. 

'  It  means  that  you  have  sufficient  land,"  said  Nekhludoff. 


258  Resurrection 

'  No,  sir,  we  have  not,"  said  the  ex-soldier,  with  an  arti- 
ficially pleased  look,  carefully  holding  his  tattered  cap  in 
front  of  him,  as  if  offering  it  to  any  one  who  liked  to  make 
use  of  it. 

'  Well,  anyhow,  you'd  better  think  over  what  I  have  said." 
Nekhludoff  spoke  with  surprise,  and  again  repeated  his 
offer. 

"  We  have  no  need  to  think  about  it ;  as  we  have  said,  so 
it  will  be,"  angrily  muttered  the  morose,  toothless  old  man. 

"  I  shall  remain  here  another  day,  and  if  you  change  your 
minds,  send  to  let  me  know." 

The  peasants  gave  no  answer. 

So  Nekhludoff  did  not  succeed  in  arriving  at  any  result 
from  this  interview. 

"  If  I  might  make  a  remark,  Prince,"  said  the  foreman, 
when  they  got  home,  "  you  will  never  come  to  any  agree- 
ment with  them ;  they  are  so  obstinate.  At  a  meeting  these 
people  just  stick  in  one  place,  and  there  is  no  moving  them. 
It  is  because  they  are  frightened  of  everything.  Why,  these 
very  peasants — say  that  white-haired  one,  or  the  dark  one, 
who  were  refusing,  are  intelligent  peasants.  When  one  of 
them  comes  to  the  office  and  one  makes  him  sit  down  to 
a  cup  of  tea  it's  like  in  the  Palace  of  Wisdom — he  is  quite 
a  diplomatist,"  said  the  foreman,  smiling ;  "  he  will  consider 
everything  rightly.  At  a  meeting  it's  a  different  man — he 
keeps  repeating  one  and  the  same    .    .    ." 

'  Well,  could  not  some  of  the  more  intelligent  men  be 
asked  to  come  here?  "  said  Nekhludoff;  "  I  would  carefully 
explain  it  to  them." 

'  That  can  be  done,"  said  the  smiling  foreman. 

'  Well,  then,  would  you  mind  calling  them  here  to- 
morrow ?  " 

"  Oh,  certainly  I  will,"  said  the  foreman,  and  smiled  still 
more  joyfully.    "  I  shall  call  them  to-morrow." 

"  Just  hear  him ;  he's  not  artful,  not  he,"  said  a  black- 
haired  peasant,  with  an  unkempt  beard,  as  he  sat  jolting 
from  side  to  side  on  a  well-fed  mare,  addressing  an  old  man 
in  a  torn  coat  who  rode  by  his  side.  The  two  men  were 
driving  a  herd  of  the  peasants'  horses  to  graze  in  the  night, 
alongside  the  highroad  and  secretly,  in  the  landlord's  forest. 

"  Give  you  the  land  for  nothing — you  need  only  sign — 
have  they  not  done  the  likes  of  us  often  enough?  No,  my 
friend,  none  of  your  humbug.     Nowadays  we  have  a  little 


Resurrection  259 

sense,"  he  added,  and  began  shouting  at  a  colt  that  had 
strayed. 

He  stopped  his  horse  and  looked  round,  but  the  colt  had 
not  remained  behind ;  it  had  gone  into  the  meadow  by  the 
roadside. 

"  Bother  that  son  of  a  Turk ;  he's  taken  to  getting  into 
the  landowner's  meadows,"  said  the  dark  peasant  with  the 
unkempt  beard,  hearing  the  cracking  of  the  sorrel  stalks  that 
the  neighing  colt  was  galloping  over  as  he  came  running 
back  from  the  scented  meadow. 

'  Do  you  hear  the  cracking?  We'll  have  to  send  the 
women  folk  to  weed  the  meadow  when  there's  a  holiday," 
said  the  thin  peasant  with  the  torn  coat,  "  or  else  we'll  blunt 
our  scythes." 

"  Sign,"  he  says.  The  unkempt  man  continued  giving  his 
opinion  of  the  landlord's  speech.  "  '  Sign,'  indeed,  and  let 
him  swallow  you  up." 

"  That's  certain,"  answered  the  old  man.  And  then  they 
wrere  silent,  and  the  tramping  of  the  horses'  feet  along  the 
highroad  was  the  only  sound  to  be  heard. 


260  '  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

god's  peace  in  the  heart. 

When  Nekhludoff  returned  he  found  that  the  office  had 
been  arranged  as  a  bedroom  for  him.  A  high  bedstead, 
with  a  feather  bed  and  two  large  pillows,  had  been  placed 
in  the  room.  The  bed  was  covered  with  a  dark  red  double- 
bedded  silk  quilt,  which  was  elaborately  and  finely  quilted, 
and  very  stiff.  It  evidently  belonged  to  the  trousseau  of  the 
foreman's  wife.  The  foreman  offered  Nekhludoff  the  re- 
mains of  the  dinner,  which  the  latter  refused,  and,  excusing 
himself  for  the  poorness  of  the  fare  and  the  accommodation, 
he  left  Nekhludoff  alone. 

The  peasants'  refusal  did  not  at  all  bother  Nekhludoff. 
On  the  contrary,  though  at  Kousminski  his  offer  had  been 
accepted  and  he  had  even  been  thanked  for  it,  and  here  he 
was  met  with  suspicion  and  even  enmity,  he  felt  contented 
and  joyful. 

It  was  close  and  dirty  in  the  office.  Nekhludoff  went  out 
into  the  yard,  and  was  going  into  the  garden,  but  he  re- 
membered :  that  night,  the  window  of  the  maid-servant's 
room,  the  side  porch,  and  he  felt  uncomfortable,  and  did  not 
like  to  pass  the  spot  desecrated  by  guilty  memories.  He 
sat  down  on  the  doorstep,  and  breathing  in  the  warm  air, 
balmy  with  the  strong  scent  of  fresh  birch  leaves,  he  sat 
for  a  long  time  looking  into  the  dark  garden  and  listening 
to  the  mill,  the  nightingales,  and  some  other  bird  that 
whistled  monotonously  in  the  bush  close  by.  The  light  dis- 
appeared from  the  foreman's  window ;  in  the  east,  behind 
the  barn,  appeared  the  light  of  the  rising  moon,  and  sheet 
lightning  began  to  light  up  the  dilapidated  house,  and  the 
blooming,  over-grown  garden  more  and  more  frequently. 
It  began  to  thunder  in  the  distance,  and  a  black  cloud 
spread  over  one-third  of  the  sky.  The  nightingales  and  the 
other  bird  were  silent.  Above  the  murmur  of  the  water  from 
the  mill  came  the  cackling  of  geese,  and  then  in  the  village 
and  in  the  foreman's  yard  the  first  cocks  began  to  crow 
earlier  than  usual,  as  they  do  on  warm,  thundery  nights. 
There  is  a  saying  that  if  the  cocks  crow  early  the  night  will 


Resurrection  261 

be  a  merry  one.  For  Nekhludoff  the  night  was  more  than 
merry ;  it  was  a  happy,  joyful  night.  Imagination  renewed 
the  impressions  of  that  happy  summer  which  he  had  spent 
here  as  an  innocent  lad,  and  he  felt  himself  as  he  had  been 
not  only  at  that  but  at  all  the  best  moments  of  his  life.  He 
not  only  remembered  but  felt  as  he  had  felt  when,  at  the 
age  of  14,  he  prayed  that  God  would  show  him  the  truth; 
or  when  as  a  child  he  had  wept  on  his  mother's  lap,  when 
parting  from  her,  and  promising  to  be  always  good,  and 
never  give  her  pain  ;  he  felt  as  he  did  when  he  and  Niko- 
lenka  Irtenieff  resolved  always  to  support  each  other  in 
living  a  good  life  and  to  try  to  make  everybody  happy. 

He  remembered  how  he  had  been  tempted  in  Kous- 
minski,  so  that  he  had  begun  to  regret  the  house  and  the 
forest  and  the  farm  and  the  land,  and  he  asked  himself 
if  he  regretted  them  now,  and  it  even  seemed  strange  to> 
think  that  he  could  regret  them.  He  remembered  all  he  had 
seen  to-day ;  the  woman  with  the  children,  and  without  her 
husband,  who  was  in  prison  for  having  cut  down  trees  in 
his  (Nekhludoff's)  forest,  and  the  terrible  Matrona,  who 
considered,  or  at  least  talked  as  if  she  considered,  that 
women  of  her  position  must  give  themselves  to  the  gentle- 
folk ;  he  remembered  her  relation  to  the  babies,  the  way  in 
which  they  were  taken  to  the  Foundlings'  Hospital,  and 
the  unfortunate,  smiling,  wizened  baby  with  the  patchwork 
cap,  dying  of  starvation.  And  then  he  suddenly  remem- 
bered the  prison,  the  shaved  heads,  the  cells,  the  disgust- 
ing smells,  the  chains,  and,  by  the  side  of  it  all,  the  madly 
lavish  city  life  of  the  rich,  himself  included. 

The  bright  moon,  now  almost  full,  rose  above  the  barn. 
Dark  shadows  fell  across  the  yard,  and  the  iron  roof  of  the 
ruined  house  shone  bright.  As  if  unwilling  to  waste  this 
light,  the  nightingales  again  began  their  trills. 

Nekhludoff  called  to  mind  how  he  had  begun  to  consider 
his  life  in  the  garden  of  Kousminski  when  deciding  what 
he  was  going  to  do,  and  remembered  how  confused  he  had 
become,  how  he  could  not  arrive  at  any  decision,  how  many 
difficulties  each  question  had  presented.  He  asked  himself 
these  questions  now,  and  was  surprised  how  simple  it  all 
was.  It  was  simple  because  he  was  not  thinking  now  of 
what  would  be  the  results  for  himself,  but  only  thought  of 
what  he  had  to  do.  And,  strange  to  say,  what  he  had  to  do 
for  himself  he  could  not  decide,  but  what  he  had  to  do  for 


262  Resurrection 

others  he  knew  without  any  doubt.  He  had  no  doubt  that 
he  must  not  leave  Katusha,  but  go  on  helping  her.  He  had 
no  doubt  that  he  must  study,  investigate,  clear  up,  under- 
stand all  this  business  concerning  judgment  and  punish- 
ment, which  he  felt  he  saw  differently  to  other  people.  What 
would  result  from  it  all  he  did  not  know,  but  he  knew  for 
certain  that  he  must  do  it.  And  this  firm  assurance  gave 
him  joy. 

The  black  cloud  had  spread  all  over  the  sky ;  the  lightning 
flashed  vividly  across  the  yard  and  the  old  house  with  its 
tumble-down  porches,  the  thunder  growled  overhead.  All 
the  birds  were  silent,  but  the  leaves  rustled  and  the  wind 
reached  the  step  where  Nekhludoff  stood  and  played  with 
his  hair.  One  drop  came  down,  then  another ;  then  they 
came  drumming  on  the  dock  leaves  and  on  the  iron  of  the 
roof,  and  all  the  air  was  filled  by  a  bright  flash,  and  before 
Nekhludoff  could  count  three  a  fearful  crash  sounded  over- 
head and  spread  pealing  all  over  the  sky. 

Nekhludoff  went  in. 

'  Yes,  yes,"  he  thought.  "  The  work  that  our  life  accom- 
plishes, the  whole  of  this  work,  the  meaning  of  it  is  not,  nor 
can  be,  intelligible  to  me.  What  were  my  aunts  for?  Why 
did  Nikolenka  Irtenieff  die?  Why  am  I  living?  What  was 
Katusha  for?  And  my  madness?  Why  that  war?  Why 
my  subsequent  lawless  life?  To  understand  it,  to  under- 
stand the  whole  of  the  Master's  will  is  not  in  my  power. 
But  to  do  His  will,  that  is  written  down  in  my  con- 
science, is  in  my  power ;  that  I  know  for  certain.  And  when 
I  am  fulfilling  it  I  have  sureness  and  peace." 

The  rain  came  down  in  torrents  and  rushed  from  the  roof 
into  a  tub  beneath ;  the  lightning  lit  up  the  house  and  yard 
less  frequently.  Nekhludoff  went  into  his  room,  undressed, 
and  lay  down,  not  without  fear  of  the  bugs,  whose  presence 
the  dirty,  torn  wall-papers  made  him  suspect. 

'  Yes,  to  feel  one's  self  not  the  master  but  a  servant,"  he 
thought,  and  rejoiced  at  the  thought.  His  fears  were  not 
vain.  Hardly  had  he  put  out  his  candle  when  the  vermin 
attacked  and  stung  him.  "  To  give  up  the  land  and  go  to 
Siberia.  Fleas,  bugs,  dirt!  Ah,  well;  if  it  must  be  borne, 
I  shall  bear  it."  But,  in  spite  of  the  best  of  intentions,  he 
could  not  bear  it,  and  sat  down  by  the  open  window  and 
gazed  with  admiration  at  the  retreating  clouds  and  the  re- 
appearing moon 


Resurrection  263 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   LAND   SETTLEMENT. 

It  was  morning  before  Nekhludoff  could  fall  asleep,  and 
therefore  he  woke  up  late.  At  noon  seven  men,  chosen 
from  among  the  peasants  at  the  foreman's  invitation,  came 
into  the  orchard,  where  the  foreman  had  arranged  a  table 
and  benches  by  digging  posts  into  the  ground,  and  fixing 
boards  on  the  top,  under  the  apple  trees.  It  took  some  time 
before  the  peasants  could  be  persuaded  to  put  on  their  caps 
and  to  sit  down  on  the  benches.  Especially  firm  was  the  ex- 
soldier,  who  to-day  had  bark  shoes  on.  He  stood  erect, 
holding  his  cap  as  they  do  at  funerals,  according  to  military 
regulation.  When  one  of  them,  a  respectable-looking, 
broad-shouldered  old  man,  with  a  curly,  grizzly  beard  like 
that  of  Michael  Angelo's  "  Moses,"  and  grey  hair  that 
curled  round  the  brown,  bald  forehead,  put  on  his  big  cap, 
and,  wrapping  his  coat  round  him,  got  in  behind  the  table 
and  sat  down,  the  rest  followed  his  example.  When  all  had 
taken  their  places  Nekhludoff  sat  down  opposite  them,  and 
leaning  on  the  table  over  the  paper  on  which  he  had  drawn 
up  his  project,  he  began  explaining  it. 

Whether  it  was  that  there  were  fewer  present,  or  that  he 
was  occupied  with  the  business  in  hand  and  not  with  him- 
self, anyhow,  this  time  Nekhludoff-  felt  no  confusion.  He 
involuntarily  addressed  the  broad-shouldered  old  man  with 
white  ringlets  in  his  grizzly  beard,  expecting  approbation  or 
objections  from  him.  But  Nekhludoff's  conjecture  was 
wrong.  The  respectable-looking  old  patriarch,  though  he 
nodded  his  handsome  head  approvingly  or  shook  it,  and 
frowned  when  the  others  raised  an  objection,  evidently 
understood  with  great  difficulty,  and  only  when  the  others 
repeated  what  Nekhludoff  had  said  in  their  own  words.  A 
little,  almost  beardless  old  fellow,  blind  in  one  eye,  who  sat  by 
the  side  of  the  patriarch,  and  had  a  patched  nankeen  coat 
and  old  boots  on,  and,  as  Nekhludoff  found  out  later,  was 


264 


Resurrection 


an  oven-builder,  understood  much  better.  This  man  moved 
his  brows  quickly,  attending  to  Nekhludoff's  words  with  an 
effort,  and  at  once  repeated  them  in  his  own  way.  An  old, 
thick-set  man  with  a  white  beard  and  intelligent  eyes  under- 
stood as  quickly,  and  took  every  opportunity  to  put  in  an  iron- 
ical joke,  clearly  wishing  to  show  off.  The  ex-soldier  seemed 
also  to  understand  matters,  but  got  mixed,  being  used  to 
senseless  soldiers'  talk.  A  tall  man  with  a  small  beard,  a 
long  nose,  and  a  bass  voice,  who  wore  clean,  home-made 
clothes  and  new  bark-plaited  shoes,  seemed  to  be  the  one 
most  seriously  interested.  This  man  spoke  only  when  there 
was  need  of  it.  The  two  other  old  men,  the  same  toothless 
one  who  had  shouted  a  distinct  refusal  at  the  meeting  the 
day  before  to  every  proposal  of  Nekhludoff's,  and  a  tall,  white 
lame  old  man  with  a  kind  face,  his  thin  legs  tightly  wrapped 
round  with  strips  of  linen,  said  little,  though  they  listened 
attentively.  First  of  all  Nekhludoff  explained  his  views  in 
regard  to  personal  property  in  land.  '  The  land,  according 
to  my  idea,  can  neither  be  bought  nor  sold,  because  if  it  could 
be  he  who  has  got  the  money  could  buy  it  all,  and  exact  any- 
thing he  liked  for  the  use  of  the  land  from  those  who  have 
none." 

"  That's  true,"  said  the  long-nosed  man,  in  a  deep  bass. 

"  Just  so,"  said  the  ex-soldier. 

"  A  woman  gathers  a  little  grass  for  her  cow ;  she's  caught 
and  imprisoned,"  said  the  white-bearded  old  man. 

"  Our  own  land  is  five  versts  away,  and  as  to  renting  any 
it's  impossible ;  the  price  is  raised  so  high  that  it  won't  pay," 
added  the  cross,  toothless  old  man.  '  They  twist  us  into 
ropes,  worse  than  during  serfdom." 

"  I  think  as  you  do,  and  I  count  it  a  sin  to  possess  land,  so 
I  wish  to  give  it  away,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

"  Well,  that's  a  good  thing,"  said  the  old  man,  with  curls 
like  Angelo's  "  Moses,"  evidently  thinking  that  Nekhludoff 
meant  to  let  the  land. 

"  I  have  come  here  because  I  no  longer  wish  to  possess  any 
land,  and  now  we  must  consider  the  best  way  of  dividing  it." 

"  Just  give  it  to  the  peasants,  that's  all,"  said  the  cross, 
toothless  old  man. 

Nekhludoff  was  abashed  for  a  moment,  feeling  a  suspicion 
of  his  not  being  honest  in  these  words,  but  he  instantly  re- 
covered, and  made  use  of  the  remark,  in  order  to  express 
what  was  in  his  mind,  in  reply. 


Resurrection  265 

"  I  should  "be  glad  to  give  it  them,"  he  said,  "  but  to 
whom,  and  how  ?  To  which  of  the  peasants  ?  Why,  to  your 
commune,  and  not  to  that  of  Deminsk."  (That  was  the 
name  of  a  neighbouring  village  with  very  little  land.) 

All  were  silent.    Then  the  ex-soldier  said,  "  Just  so." 

"  Now,  then,  tell  me  how  would  you  divide  the  land  among 
the  peasants  if  you  had  to  do  it  ?  "  said  Nekhludoff. 

"  We  should  divide  it  up  equally,  so  much  for  every  man," 
said  the  oven-builder,  quickly  raising  and  lowering  his 
brows. 

"  How  else?  Of  course,  so  much  per  man,"  said  the  good- 
natured  lame  man  with  the  white  strips  of  linen  round  his 
legs. 

Every  one  confirmed  this  statement,  considering  it  satis- 
factory. 

"  So  much  per  man?  Then  are  the  servants  attached  to 
the  house  also  to  have  a  share  ?  "  Nekhludoff  asked. 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  the  ex-soldier,  trying  to  appear  bold  and 
merry.  But  the  tall,  reasonable  man  would  not  agree  with 
him. 

'  If  one  is  to  divide,  all  must  share  alike,"  he  said,  in  his 
deep  bass,  after  a  little  consideration. 

"  It  can't  be  done,"  said  Nekhludoff,  who  had  already  pre- 
pared his  reply.  '  If  all  are  to  share  alike,  then  those  who 
do  not  work  themselves — do  not  plough — will  sell  their 
shares  to  the  rich.  The  rich  will  again  get  at  the  land. 
Those  who  live  by  working  the  land  will  multiply,  and  land 
will  again  be  scarce.  Then  the  rich  will  again  get  those  who 
need  land  into  their  power." 

"  Just  so,"  quickly  said  the  ex-soldier. 

'  Forbid  to  sell  the  land ;  let  only  him  who  ploughs  it  have 
it,"  angrily  interrupted  the  oven-builder. 

To  this  Nekhludoff  replied  that  it  was  impossible  to  know 
who  was  ploughing  for  himself  and  who  for  another. 

The  tall,  reasonable  man  proposed  that  an  arrangement  be 
made  so  that  they  should  all  plough  communally,  and  those 
who  ploughed  should  get  the  produce  and  those  who  did 
not  should  get  nothing. 

To  this  communistic  project  Nekhludoff  had  also  an 
answer  ready.  He  said  that  for  such  an  arrangement  it 
would  be  necessary  that  all  should  have  ploughs,  and  that 
all  the  horses  should  be  alike,  so  that  none  should  be  left  be- 
hind, and  that  ploughs  and  horses  and  all  the  implements 


266  Resurrection 

would  have  to  be  communal  property,  and  that  in  order  to 
get  that,  all  the  people  would  have  to  agree. 

"  Our  people  could  not  be  made  to  agree  in  a  lifetime," 
said  the  cross  old  man. 

"  We  should  have  regular  fights,"  said  the  white-bearded 
old  man  with  the  laughing  eyes. 

"  So  that  the  thing  is  not  as  simple  as  it  looks,"  said  Nekh- 
ludoff, "  and  this  is  a  thing  not  only  we  but  many  have  been 
considering.  There  is  an  American,  Henry  George.  This  is 
what  he  has  thought  out,  and  I  agree  with  him." 

"  Why,  you  are  the  master,  and  you  give  it  as  you  like. 
What's  it  to  you?  The  power  is  yours,"  said  the  cross  old 
man. 

This  confused  Nekhludoff,  but  he  was  pleased  to  see  that 
not  he  alone  was  dissatisfied  with  this  interruption. 

"  You  wait  a  bit,  Uncle  Simon ;  let  him  tell  us  about  it," 
said  the  reasonable  man,  in  his  imposing  bass. 

This  emboldened  Nekhludoff,  and  he  began  to  explain 
Henry  George's  single-tax  system.  "  The  earth  is  no  man's ; 
it  is  God's,"  he  began. 

'  Just  so ;  that  it  is,"  several  voices  replied. 

'  The  land  is  common  to  all.  All  have  the  same  right  to  it, 
but  there  is  good  land  and  bad  land,  and  every  one  would 
like  to  take  the  good  land.  How  is  one  to  do  in  order  to  get 
it  justly  divided?  In  this  way:  he  that  will  use  the  good 
land  must  pay  those  who  have  got  no  land  the  value  of  the 
land  he  uses,"  Nekhludoff  went  on,  answering  his  own  ques- 
tion. "  As  it  would  be  difficult  to  say  who  should  pay  whom, 
and  money  is  needed  for  communal  use,  it  should  be  ar- 
ranged that  he  who  uses  the  good  land  should  pay  the 
amount  of  the  value  of  his  land  to  the  commune  for  its 
needs.  Then  every  one  would  share  equally.  If  you  want 
to  use  land  pay  for  it — more  for  the  good,  less  for  the  bad 
land.  If  you  do  not  wish  to  use  land,  don't  pay  anything, 
and  those  who  use  the  land  will  pay  the  taxes  and  the  com- 
munal expenses  for  you." 

'  Well,  he  had  a  head,  this  George,"  said  the  oven-builder, 
moving  his  brows.  "  He  who  has  good  land  must  pay 
more." 

'  If  only  the  payment  is  according  to  our  strength,"  said 
the  tall  man  with  the  bass  voice,  evidently  foreseeing  how 
the  matter  would  end. 

'  The  payment  should  be  not  too  high  and  not  too  low. 


Resurrection  267 

If  it  is  too  high  it  will  not  get  paid,  and  there  will  be  a  loss ; 
and  if  it  is  too  low  it  will  be  bought  and  sold.  There  would 
be  a  trading  in  land.  This  is  what  I  wished  to  arrange 
among  you  here." 

'  That  is  just,  that  is  right;  yes,  that  would  do,"  said  the 
peasants. 

"  He  has  a  head,  this  George,"  said  the  broad-shouldered 
old  man  with  the  curls.    "  See  what  he  has  invented." 

'  Well,  then,  how  would  it  be  if  I  wished  to  take  some 
land  ?  "  asked  the  smiling  foreman. 

"  If  there  is  an  allotment  to  spare,  take  it  and  work  it," 
said  Nekhludoff. 

'  What  do  you  want  it  for  ?  You  have  sufficient  as  it  is," 
said  the  old  man  with  the  laughing  eyes. 

With  this  the  conference  ended. 

Nekhludoff  repeated  his  offer,  and  advised  the  men  to  talk 
it  over  with  the  rest  of  the  commune  and  to  return  with  the 
answer. 

The  peasants  said  they  would  talk  it  over  and  bring  an 
answer,  and  left  in  a  state  of  excitement.  Their  loud  talk 
was  audible  as  they  went  along  the  road,  and  up  to  late  in 
the  night  the  sound  of  voices  came  along  the  river  from  the 
village. 

The  next  day  the  peasants  did  not  go  to  work,  but  spent  it 
in  considering  the  landlord's  offer.  The  commune  was  di-" 
vided  into  two  parties — one  which  regarded  the  offer  as  a 
profitable  one  to  themselves  and  saw  no  danger  in  agreeing 
with  it,  and  another  which  suspected  and  feared  the  offer  it 
did  not  understand.  On  the  third  day,  however,  all  agreed, 
and  some  were  sent  to  Nekhludoff  to  accept  his  offer.  They 
were  influenced  in  their  decision  by  the  explanation  some  of 
the  old  men  gave  of  the  landlord's  conduct,  which  did  away 
with  all  fear  of  deceit.  They  thought  the  gentleman  had  be- 
gun to  consider  his  soul,  and  was  acting  as  he  did  for  its  sal- 
vation. ^  The  alms  which  Nekhludoff  had  given  away  while 
in  Panovo  made  his  explanation  seem  likely.  The  fact  that 
Nekhludoff  had  never  before  been  face  to  face  with  such 
great  poverty  and  so  bare  a  life  as  the  peasants  had  come  to 
in  this  place,  and  was  so  appalled  by  it,  made  him  give  away 
money  in  charity,  though  he  knew  'that  this  was  not  reason- 
able. He  could  not  help  giving  the  money,  of  which  he  now 
had  a  great  deal,  having  received  a  large  sum  for  the  forest 
he  had  sold  the  year  before,  and  also  the  hand  money  for  the 


268  Resurrection 

implements  and  stock  in  Kousminski.  As  soon  as  it  was 
known  that  the  master  was  giving  money  in  charity,  crowds 
of  people,  chiefly  women,  began  to  come  to  ask  him  for 
help.  He  did  not  in  the  least  know  how  to  deal  with  them, 
how  to  decide,  how  much,  and  whom  to  give  to.  He  felt  that 
to  refuse  to  give  money,  of  which  he  had  a  great  deal,  to 
poor  people  was  impossible,  yet  to  give  casually  to  those  who 
asked  was  not  wise.  The  last  day  he  spent  in  Panovo,  Nekh- 
ludoff  looked  over  the  things  left  in  his  aunts'  house,  and  in 
the  bottom  drawer  of  the  mahogany  wardrobe,  with  the 
brass  lions'  heads  with  rings  through  them,  he  found  many 
letters,  and  amongst  them  a  photograph  of  a  group,  con- 
sisting of  his  aunts,  Sophia  Ivanovna  and  Mary  Ivanovna,  a 
student,  and  Katusha.  Of  all  the  things  in  the  house  he 
took  only  the  letters  and  the  photograph.  The  rest  he  left 
to  the  miller  who,  at  the  smiling  foreman's  recommendation, 
had  bought  the  house  and  all  it  contained,  to  be  taken  down 
and  carried  away,  at  one-tenth  of  the  real  value. 

Recalling  the  feeling  of  regret  at  the  loss  of  his  property 
which  he  had  felt  in  Kousminski,  Nekhludoff  was  surprised 
how  he  could  have  felt  this  regret.  Now  he  felt  nothing  but 
unceasing  joy  at  the  deliverance,  and  a  sensation  of  newness 
something  like  that  which  a  traveller  must  experience  when 
discovering  new  countries. 


Resurrection  269 


CHAPTER  X. 

NEKHLUDOFF   RETURNS  TO   TOWN. 

The  town  struck  Nekhludoff  in  a  new  and  peculiar  light 
on  his  return.  He  came  back  in  the  evening,  when  the  gas 
was  lit,  and  drove  from  the  railway  station  to  his  house, 
where  the  rooms  still  smelt  of  naphthaline.  Agraphena  Pe- 
trovna  and  Corney  were  both  feeling  tired  and  dissatisfied, 
and  had  even  had  a  quarrel  over  those  things  that  seemed 
made  only  to  be  aired  and  packed  away.  Nekhludoff 's  room 
was  empty,  but  not  in  order,  and  the  way  to  it  was  blocked 
up  with  boxes,  so  that  his  arrival  evidently  hindered  the  busi- 
ness which,  owing  to  a  curious  kind  of  inertia,  was  going  on 
in  this  house.  The  evident  folly  of  these  proceedings,  in 
which  he  had  once  taken  part,  was  so  distasteful  to  Nekh- 
ludoff after  the  impressions  the  misery  of  the  life  of  the 
peasants  had  made  on  him,  that  he  decided  to  go  to  a  hotel 
the  next  day,  leaving  Agraphena  Petrovna  to  put  away  the 
things  as  she  thought  fit  until  his  sister  should  come  and 
finally  dispose  of  everything  in  the  house. 

Nekhludoff  left  home  early  and  chose  a  couple  of  rooms 
in  a  very  modest  and  not  particularly  clean  lodging-house 
within  easy  reach  of  the  prison,  and,  having  given  orders 
that  some  of  his  things  should  be  sent  there,  he  went  to  see 
the  advocate.  It  was  cold  out  of  doors.  After  some  rainy 
and  stormy  weather  it  had  turned  out  cold,  as  it  often  does 
in  spring.  It  was  so  cold  that  Nekhludoff  felt  quite  chilly  in 
his  light  overcoat,  and  walked  fast  hoping  to  get  warmer. 
His  mind  was  filled  with  thoughts  of  the  peasants,  the  women, 
children,  old  men,  and  all  the  poverty  and  weariness  which 
he  seemed  to  have  seen  for  the  first  time,  especially  the  smil- 
ing, old-faced  infant  writhing  with  his  calfless  little  legs,  and 
he  could  not  help  contrasting  what  was  going  on  in  the  town. 
Passing  by  the  butchers',  fishmongers',  and  clothiers'  shops, 
he  was  struck,  as  if  he  saw  them  for  the  first  time,  by  the 


270 


Resurrection 


appearance  of  the  clean,  well-fed  shopkeepers,  like  whom 
you  could  not  find  one  peasant  in  the  country.  These  men 
were  apparently  convinced  that  the  pains  they  took  to  de- 
ceive the  people  who  did  not  know  much  about  their  goods 
was  not  a  useless  but  rather  an  important  business.  The 
coachmen  with  their  broad  hips  and  rows  of  buttons  down 
their  sides,  and  the  door-keepers  with  gold. cords  on  their 
caps,  the  servant-girls  with  their  aprons  and  curly  fringes, 
and  especially  the  smart  isvostchiks  with  the  nape  of  their 
necks  clean  shaved,  as  they  sat  lolling  back  in  their  traps, 
and  examined  the  passers-by  with  dissolute  and  contemp- 
tuous air,  looked  well  fed.  In  all  these  people  Nekhludoff 
could  not  now  help  seeing  some  of  these  very  peasants  who 
had  been  driven  into  the  town  by  lack  of  land.  Some  of  the 
peasants  driven  to  the  town  had  found  means  of  profiting  by 
the  conditions  of  town  life  and  had  become  like  the  gentle- 
folk and  were  pleased  with  their  position ;  others  were  in  a 
worse  position  than  they  had  been  in  the  country  and  were 
more  to  be  pitied  than  the  country  people. 

Such  seemed  the  bootmakers  Nekhludoff  saw  in  the  cel- 
lar ;  the  pale,  dishevelled  washerwomen  with  their  thin,  bare 
arms  ironing  at  an  open  window,  out  of  which  streamed 
soapy  steam ;  such  the  two  house-painters  with  their  aprons, 
stockingless  feet,  all  bespattered  and  smeared  with  paint, 
whom  Nekhludoff  met — their  weak,  brown  arms  bared  to 
above  the  elbows — carrying  a  pailful  of  paint,  and  quarrel- 
ling with  each  other.  Their  faces  looked  haggard  and  cross. 
The  dark  faces  of  the  carters  jolting  along  in  their  carts 
bore  the  same  expression,  and  so  did  the  faces  of  the  tattered 
men  and  women  who  stood  begging  at  the  street  corners. 
The  same  kind  of  faces  were  to  be  seen  at  the  open  windows 
of  the  eating-houses  which  Nekhludoff  passed.  By  the 
dirty  tables  on  which  stood  tea  things  and  bottles,  and  be- 
tween which  waiters  dressed  in  white  shirts  were  rushing 
hither  and  thither,  sat  shouting  and  singing  red,  perspiring 
men  with  stupefied  faces.  One  sat  by  the  window  with  lifted 
brows  and  pouting  lips  and  fixed  eyes  as  if  trying  to  remem- 
ber something. 

"And  why  are  they  all  gathered  here?"  Nekhludoff 
thought,  breathing  in  together  with  the  dust  which  the  cold 
wind  blew  towards  him  the  air  filled  with  the  smell  of  rank 
oil  and  fresh  paint. 

In  one  street  he  met  a  row  of  carts  loaded  with  something 


Resurrection  271 

made  of  iron,  that  rattled  so  on  the  uneven  pavement  that  it 
made  his  ears  and  head  ache.  He  started  walking  still  faster 
in  order  to  pass  the  row  of  carts,  when  he  heard  himself 
called  by  name.  He  stopped  and  saw  an  officer  with  sharp- 
pointed  moustaches  and  shining  face  who  sat  in  the  trap  of  a 
swell  isvostchik  and  waved  his  hand  in  a  friendly  manner, 
his  smile  disclosing  unusually  long,  white  teeth. 

"  Nekhludoff !    Can  it  be  you  ?  " 

Nekhludoff*' s  first  feeling  was  one  of  pleasure.  "  Ah, 
Schonbock  !"  he  exclaimed  joyfully;  but  he  knew  the  next 
moment  that  there  was  nothing  to  be  joyful  about. 

This  was  that  Schonbock  who  had  been  in  the  house  of 
Nekhludoff's  aunts  that  day,  and  whom  Nekhludoff  had 
quite  lost  out  of  sight,  but  about  whom  he  had  heard  that 
in  spite  of  his  debts  he  had  somehow  managed  to  remain  in 
the  cavalry,  and  by  some  means  or  other  still  kept  his  place 
among  the  rich.  His  gay,  contented  appearance  corrobo- 
rated this  report. 

"  What  a  good  thing  that  I  have  caught  you.  There  is 
no  one  in  town.  Ah,  old  fellow ;  you  have  grown  old,"  he 
said,  getting  out  of  the  trap  and  moving  his  shoulders  about. 
"  I  only  knew  you  by  your  walk.  Look  here,  we  must  dine 
together.  Is  there  any  place  where  they  feed  one  de- 
cently?" 

"  I  don't  think  I  can  spare  the  time,"  Nekhludoff 
answered,  thinking  only  of  how  he  could  best  get  rid  of  his 
companion  without  hurting  him. 

"  And  what  has  brought  you  here  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Business,  old  fellow.  Guardianship  business.  I  am  a 
guardian  now.  I  am  managing  Samanoff's  affairs — the  mil- 
lionaire, you  know.  He  has  softening  of  the  brain,  and 
he's  got  fifty-four  thousand  dcsiatins  of  land,"  he  said,  with 
peculiar  pride,  as  if  he  had  himself  made  all  these  desiatins. 
'  The  affairs  were  terribly  neglected.  All  the  land  was  let 
to  the  peasants.  They  did  not  pay  anything.  There  were 
more  than  eighty  thousand  roubles  debts.  I  changed  it  all 
in  one  year,  and  have  got  70  per  cent,  more  out  of  it.  What 
do  you  think  of  that  ?  "  he  asked  proudly. 

Nekhludoff  remembered  having  heard  that  this  Schon- 
bock, just  because  he  had  spent  all  he  had,  had  attained  by 
some  special  influence  the  post  of  guardian  to  a  rich  old 
man  who  was  squandering  his  property — and  was  now 
evidently  living  by  this  guardianship.     "  How  am  I  to  get 


272  Resurrection 

rid  of  him  without  offending  him  ?  "  thought  Nekhludoff, 
looking  at  this  full,  shiny  face  with  the  stiffened  moustache 
and  listening  to  his  friendly,  good-humoured  chatter  about 
where  one  gets  fed  best,  and  his  bragging  about  his  doings 
as  a  guardian. 

"  Well,  then,  where  do  we  dine  ?  " 

"  Really,  I  have  no  time  to  spare,"  said  Nekhludoff, 
glancing  at  his  watch. 

'  Then,  look  here.  To-night,  at  the  races — will  you  be 
there  ?  " 

"  No,  I  shall  not  be  there." 

'  Do  come.  I  have  none  of  my  own  now,  but  I  back 
Grisha's  horses.  You  remember ;  he  has  a  fine  stud.  You'll 
come,  won't  you?   And  we'll  have  some  supper  together." 

'  No,  I  cannot  have  supper  with  you  either,"  said  Nekh- 
ludoff with  a  smile. 

'  Well,  that's  too  bad !  And  where  are  you  off  to  now  ? 
Shall  I  give  you  a  lift?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  see  an  advocate,  close  to  here — round  the 


corner." 


"  Oh,  yes,  of  course.  You  have  got  something  to  do  with 
the  prisons — have  turned  into  a  prisoners'  mediator,  I 
hear,"  said  Schonbock,  laughing.  "  The  Korchagins  told 
me.  They  have  left  town  already.  What  does  it  all  mean  ? 
Tell  me." 

'  Yes,  yes,  it  is  quite  true,"  Nekhludoff  answered  ;  "  but  I 
cannot  tell  you  about  it  in  the  street." 

"  Of  course ;  you  always  were  a  crank.  But  you  will 
come  to  the  races  ?  " 

:<  No.  I  neither  can  nor  wish  to  come.  Please  do  not  be 
angry  with  me." 

"Angry?  Dear  me,  no.  Where  do  you  live?"  And 
suddenly  his  face  became  serious,  his  eyes  fixed,  and  he 
drew  up  his  brows.  He  seemed  to  be  trying  to  remember 
something,  and  Nekhludoff  noticed  the  same  dull  expres- 
sion as  that  of  the  man  with  the  raised  brows  and  pout- 
ing lips  whom  he  had  seen  at  the  window  of  the  eating- 
house. 

"  How  cold  it  is  !    Is  it  not  ?    Have  you  got  the  parcels  ?  " 
said  Schonbock,  turning  to  the  isvostchik. 

"  All  right.  Good-bye.  I  am  very  glad  indeed  to  have 
met  you,"  and  warmly  pressing  Nekhludoff  s  hand,  he 
jumped  into  the  trap  and  waved  his  white-gloved  hand  in 


Resurrection  273 

front  of  his  shiny  face,  with  his  usual  smile,  showing  his 
-exceptionally  white  teeth. 

"  Can  I  have  also  been  like  that?  "  Nekhludoff  thought, 
as  he  continued  his  way  to  the  advocate's.  "  Yes,  I  wished 
to  be  like  that,  though  I  was  not  quite  like  it.  And  I 
thought  of  living  my  life  in  that  way." 


274  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XL 

AN    ADVOCATE'S   VIEWS    ON    JUDGES   AND    PROSECUTORS. 

Nekhludoff  was  admitted  by  the  advocate  before  his 
turn.  The  advocate  at  once  commenced  to  talk  about  the 
Menshoffs'  case,  which  he  had  read  with  indignation  at  the 
inconsistency  of  the  accusation. 

'  This  case  is  pei  fectly  revolting,"  he  said ;  "  it  is  very 
likely  that  the  owner  himself  set  fire  to  the  building  in  order 
to  get  the  insurance  money,  and  the  chief  thing  is  that  there 
is  no  evidence  to  prove  the  Menshoffs'  guilt.  There  are  no 
proofs  whatever.  It  is  all  owing  to  the  special  zeal  of  the 
examining  magistrate  and  the  carelessness  of  the  prose- 
cutor. If  they  are  tried  here,  and  not  in  a  provincial  court, 
I  guarantee  that  they  will  be  acquitted,  and  I  shall  charge 
nothing.  Now  then,  the  next  case,  that  of  Theodosia  Biru- 
koff.  The  appeal  to  the  Emperor  is  written.  If  you  go  to 
Petersburg,  you'd  better  take  it  with  you,  and  hand  it  in 
yourself,  with  a  request  of  your  own,  or  else  they  will  only 
make  a  few  inquiries,  and  nothing  will  come  of  it.  You 
must  try  and  get  at  some  of  the  influential  members  of  the 
Appeal  Committee." 

"Well,  is  this  all?" 

"  No ;  here  I  have  a  letter  ...  I  see  you  have  turned 
into  a  pipe — a  spout  through  which  all  the  complaints  of 
the  prison  are  poured,"  said  the  advocate,  with  a  smile.  *'  It 
is  too  much ;  you'll  not  be  able  to  manage  it." 

"  No,  but  this  is  a  striking  case,"  said  Nekhludoff,  and 
gave  a  brief  outline  of  the  case  of  a  peasant  who  began  to 
read  the  Gospels  to  the  peasants  in  the  village,  and  to  dis- 
cuss them  with  his  friends.  The  priests  regarded  this  as  a 
crime  and  informed  the  authorities.  The  magistrate  ex- 
amined him  and  the  public  prosecutor  drew  up  an  act  of 
indictment,  and  the  law  courts  committed  him  for  trial. 

'  This  is  really  too  terrible,"  Nekhludoff  said.  "  Can  it 
be  true  ?  " 

"  What  are  you  surprised  at?  " 


Resurrection  275 

"  Why,  everything.  I  can  understand  the  police-officer, 
who  simply  obeys  orders,  but  the  prosecutor  drawing  up  an 
act  of  that  kind.    An  educated  man     .     .     ." 

'  That  is  where  the  mistake  lies  that  we  are  in  the  habit 
of  considering  that  the  prosecutors  and  the  judges  in  gen- 
eral are  some  kind  of  liberal  persons.  There  was  a  time 
when  they  were  such,  but  now  it  is  quite  different.  They 
are  just  officials,  only  troubled  about  pay-day.  They  re- 
ceive their  salaries  and  want  them  increased,  and  there 
their  principles  end.  They  will  accuse,  judge,  and  sentence 
any  one  you  like." 

'  Yes ;  but  do  laws  really  exist  that  can  condemn  a  man 
to  Siberia  for  reading  the  Bible  with  his  friends  ?  " 

'  Not  only  to  be  exiled  to  the  less  remote  parts  of  Siberia, 
but  even  to  the  mines,  if  you  can  only  prove  that  reading 
the  Bible  they  took  the  liberty  of  explaining  it  to  others  not 
according  to  orders,  and  in  this  way  condemned  the  ex- 
planations given  by  the  Church.  Blaming  the  Greek  ortho- 
dox religion  in  the  presence  of  the  common  people  means, 
according  to  Statute     .     .     .     the  mines." 

"Impossible!" 

"  I  assure  you  it  is  so.  I  always  tell  these  gentlemen,  the 
judges,"  the  advocate  continued,  "  that  I  cannot  look  at 
them  without  gratitude,  because  if  I  am  not  in  prison,  and 
you,  and  all  of  us,  it  is  only  owing  to  their  kindness.  To 
deprive  us  of  our  privileges,  and  send  us  all  to  the  less  re- 
mote parts  of  Siberia,  would  be  an  easy  thing  for  them." 

'  Well,  if  it  is  so,  and  if  everything  depends  on  the 
Procurcur  and  others  who  can,  at  will,  either  enforce  the 
laws  or  not,  what  are  the  trials  for?  " 

The  advocate  burst  into  a  merry  laugh.  "  You  do  put 
strange  questions.  My  dear  sir,  that  is  philosophy.  Well, 
we  might  have  a  talk  about  that,  too.  Could  you  come  on 
Saturday  ?  You  will  meet  men  of  science,  literary  men,  and 
artists  at  my  house,  and  then  we  might  discuss  these  gen- 
eral questions,"  said  the  advocate,  pronouncing  the  words 
"  general  questions  "  with  ironical  pathos.  "  You  have  met 
my  wife?   Do  come." 

'  Thank  you ;  I  will  try  to,"  said  Nekhludoff,  and  felt 
that  he  was  saying  an  untruth,  and  knew  that  if  he  tried  to 
do  anything  it  would  be  to  keep  away  from  the  advocate's 
literary  evening,  and  the  circle  of  the  men  of  science,  art, 
and  literature. 


276  Resurrection 

The  laugh  with  which  the  advocate  met  Nekhludoff's 
remark  that  trials  could  have  no  meaning  if  the  judges 
might  enforce  the  laws  or  not,  according  to  their  notion, 
and  the  tone  with  which  he  pronounced  the  words  "  philoso- 
phy "  and  "  general  questions  "  proved  to  Nekhludoff  how 
very  differently  he  and  the  advocate  and,  probably,  the  advo- 
cate's friends,  looked  at  things ;  and  he  felt  that  in  spite  of 
the  distance  that  now  existed  between  himself  and  his 
former  companions,  Schonbock,  etc.,  the  difference  between 
himself  and  the  circle  of  the  advocate  and  his  friends  was 
still  greater. 


Resurrection  277 


CHAPTER   XII. 

WHY  THE  PEASANTS  FLOCK  TO  TOWN. 

The  prison  was  a  long  way  off  and  it  was  getting  late,  so 
Nekhludoff  took  an  isvostchik.  The  isvostchik,  a  middle- 
aged  man  with  an  intelligent  and  kind  face,  turned  round 
towards  Nekhludoff  as  they  were  driving  along  one  of  the 
streets  and  pointed  to  a  huge  house  that  was  being  built 
there. 

"  Just  see  what  a  tremendous  house  they  have  begun  to 
build,"  he  said,  as  if  he  was  partly  responsible  for  the  build- 
ing of  the  house  and  proud  of  it. 

The  house  was  really  immense  and  was  being  built  in 
a  very  original  style.  The  strong  pine  beams  of  the  scaffold- 
ing were  firmly  fixed  together  with  iron  bands  and  a  plank 
wall  separated  the  building  from  the  street. 

On  the  boards  of  the  scaffolding  workmen,  all  bespattered 
with  plaster,  moved  hither  and  thither  like  ants.  Some  were 
laying  bricks,  some  hewing  stones,  some  carrying  up  the 
heavy  hods  and  pails  and  bringing  them  down  empty.  A 
fat  and  finely-dressed  gentleman — probably  the  architect — 
stood  by  the  scaffolding,  pointing  upward  and  explaining 
something  to  a  contractor,  a  peasant  from  the  Vladimir 
Government,  who  was  respectfully  listening  to  him.  Empty 
carts  were  coming  out  of  the  gate  by  which  the  architect 
and  the  contractor  were  standing,  and  loaded  ones  were 
going  in.  "  And  how  sure  they  all  are — those  that  do  the 
work  as  well  as  those  that  make  them  do  it — that  it  ought 
to  be ;  that  while  their  wives  at  home,  who  are  with  child, 
are  labouring  beyond  their  strength,  and  their  children  with 
the  patchwork  caps,  doomed  soon  to  the  cold  grave,  smile 
with  suffering  and  contort  their  little  legs,  they  must  be 
building  this  stupid  and  useless  palace  for  some  stupid  and 
useless  person — one  of  those  who  spoil  and  rob  them," 
Nekhludoff  thought,  while  looking  at  the  house. 

'  Yes,  it  is  a  stupid  house,"  he  said,  uttering  his  thought 
out  aloud. 


278  Resurrection 

"  Why  stupid  ?  "  replied  the  isvostchik,  in  an  offended 
tone.     "  Thanks  to  it,  the  people  get  work ;  it's  not  stupid." 

"  But  the  work  is  useless." 

"  It  can't  be  useless,  or  why  should  it  be  done?  "  said  the 
isvostchik.    "  The  people  get  bread  by  it." 

Nekhludoff  was  silent,  and  it  would  have  been  difficult 
to  talk  because  of  the  clatter  the  wheels  made. 

When  they  came  nearer  the  prison,  and  the  isvostchik 
turned  off  the  paved  on  to  the  macadamised  road,  it  became 
easier  to  talk,  and  he  again  turned  to  Nekhludoff. 

"  And  what  a  lot  of  these  people  are  flocking  to  the  town 
nowadays ;  it's  awful,"  he  said,  turning  round  on  the  box 
and  pointing  to  a  party  of  peasant  workmen  who  were 
coming  towards  them,  carrying  saws,  axes,  sheepskins, 
coats,  and  bags  strapped  to  their  shoulders. 

'  More  than  in  other  years?  "  Nekhludoff  asked. 

'  By  far.  This  year  every  place  is  crowded,  so  that  it's 
just  terrible.  The  employers  just  fling  the  workmen  about 
like  chaff.    Not  a  job  to  be  got." 

"Why  is  that?" 

"  They've  increased.     There's  no  room  for  them." 

"  Well,  what  if  they  have  increased  ?  Why  do  not  they 
stay  in  the  village  ?  " 

"  There's  nothing  for  them  to  do  in  the  village — no  land 
to  be  had." 

Nekhludoff  felt  as  one  does  when  touching  a  sore  place. 
It  feels  as  if  the  bruised  part  was  always  being  hit ;  yet  it  is 
only  because  the  place  is  sore  that  the  touch  is  felt. 

'  Is  it  possible  that  the  same  thing  is  happening  every- 
where ?  "  he  thought,  and  began  questioning  the  isvostchik 
about  the  quantity  of  land  in  his  village,  how  much  land 
the  man  himself  had,  and  why  he  had  left  the  country. 

"  We  have  a  desiatin  per  man,  sir,"  he  said.  "  Our  family 
have  three  men's  shares  of  the  land.  My  father  and  a 
brother  are  at  home,  and  manage  the  land,  and  another 
brother  is  serving  in  the  army.  But  there's  nothing  to 
manage.  My  brother  has  had  thoughts  of  coming  to  Mos- 
cow, too." 

"  And  cannot  land  be  rented  ?  " 

"How's  one  to  rent  it  nowadays?  The  gentry,  such  as 
they  were,  have  squandered  all  theirs.  Men  of  business 
have  got  it  all  into  their  own  hands.  One  can't  rent  it  from 
them.     They  farm  it  themselves.     We  have  a  Frenchman 


A   GENDARME    HAD    TO    TOUCH    THE    SLEEVE    OF    HER    COAT." 
Book  I.     Chapter  24. 


Resurrection  279 

ruling  in  our  place ;  he  bought  the  estate  from  our  former 
landlord,  and  won't  let  it — and  there's  an  end  of  it." 

"  Who's  that  Frenchman?  " 

"  Dufour  is  the  Frenchman's  name.  Perhaps  you've 
heard  of  him.  He  makes  wigs  for  the  actors  in  the  big 
theatre ;  it  is  a  good  business,  so  he's  prospering.  He  bought 
it  from  our  lady,  the  whole  of  the  estate,  and  now  he  has  us 
in  his  power ;  he  just  rides  on  us  as  he  pleases.  The  Lord 
be  thanked,  he  is  a  good  man  himself ;  only  his  wife,  a 
Russian,  is  such  a  brute  that — God  have  mercy  on  us.  She 
robs  the  people.  It's  awful.  Well,  here's  the  prison.  Am 
I  to  drive  you  to  the  entrance?  I'm  afraid  they'll  not  let  us 
do  it,  though." 


280  Resurrection 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


NURSE    MASLOVA. 


When  he  rang  the  bell  at  the  front  entrance  NekhludofFs 
heart  stood  still  with  horror  as  he  thought  of  the  state  he 
might  find  Maslova  in  to-day,  and  at  the  mystery  that  he  felt  to 
be  in  her  and  in  the  people  that  were  collected  in  the  prison. 
He  asked  the  jailer  who  opened  the  door  for  Maslova.  After 
making  the  necessary  inquiry  the  jailer  informed  him  that 
she  was  in  the  hospital.  Nekhludoff  went  there.  A  kindly 
old  man,  the  hospital  doorkeeper,  let  him  in  at  once  and, 
after  asking  Nekhludoff  whom  he  wanted,  directed  him  to  the 
children's  ward.  A  young  doctor  saturated  with  carbolic 
acid  met  Nekhludoff  in  the  passage  and  asked  him  severely 
what  he  wanted.  This  doctor  was  always  making  all  sorts 
of  concessions  to  the  prisoners,  and  was  therefore  continu- 
ally coming  into  conflict  with  the  prison  authorities  and 
even  with  the  head  doctor.  Fearing  lest  Nekhludoff  should 
demand  something  unlawful,  and  wishing  to  show  that  he 
made  no  exceptions  for  any  one,  he  pretended  to  be  cross. 
(  There  are  no  women  here ;  it  is  the  children's  ward,"  he 
said. 

'  Yes,  I  know ;  but  a  prisoner  has  been  removed  here  to 
be  an  assistant  nurse." 

'  Yes,  there  are  two  such  here.  Then  whom  do  you 
want?" 

"  I  am  closely  connected  with  one  of  them,  named  Mas- 
lova," Nekhludoff  answered,  "  and  should  like  to  speak  to 
her.  I  am  going  to  Petersburg  to  hand  in  an  appeal  to  the 
Senate  about  her  case  and  should  like  to  give  her  this.  It  is 
only  a  photo,"  Nekhludoff  said,  taking  an  envelope  out  of 
his  pocket. 

'''  All  right,  you  may  do  that,"  said  the  doctor,  relenting, 
and  turning  to  an  old  woman  with  a  white  apron,  he  told 
her  to  call  the  prisoner — Nurse  Maslova. 

'  Will  you  take  a  seat,  or  go  into  the  waiting-room  ?  " 


Resurrection  281 

'  Thanks,"  said  Nekhludoff,  and  profiting  by  the  favour- 
able change  in  the  manner  of  the  doctor  towards  him,  he 
asked  how  they  were  satisfied  with  Maslova  in  the  hospital. 

"  Oh,  she  is  all  right.  She  works  fairly  well,  if  you  take 
the  conditions  of  her  former  life  into  account.  But  here  she 
is." 

The  old  nurse  came  in  at  one  of  the  doors,  followed  by 
Maslova,  who  wore  a  blue  striped  dress,  a  white  apron,  and 
a  kerchief  that  quite  covered  her  hair.  When  she  saw 
Nekhludoff  her  face  flushed,  and  she  stopped  as  if  hesitating, 
then  frowned,  and  with  downcast  eyes  went  quickly  towards 
him  along  the  strip  of  carpet  in  the  middle  of  the  passage. 
When  she  came  up  to  Nekhludoff  she  did  not  wish  to  give 
him  her  hand,  and  then  gave  it,  growing  redder  still.  Nekh- 
ludoff had  not  seen  her  since  the  day  when  she  begged  his 
forgiveness  for  having  been  in  a  passion,  and  he  expected 
to  find  her  the  same  as  she  was  then.  But  to-day  she  was 
quite  different.  There  was  something  new  in  the  expres- 
sion of  her  face,  reserve  and  shyness,  and,  as  it  seemed  to 
him,  animosity  towards  him.  He  told  her  what  he  had  al- 
ready said  to  the  doctor,  i.e.,  that  he  was  going  to  Peters- 
burg, and  he  handed  her  the  envelope  with  the  photograph 
which  he  had  brought  from  Panovo. 

'  I  found  this  in  Panovo — it's  an  old  photo ;  perhaps  you 
would  like  it.    Take  it." 

Lifting  her  dark  eyebrows,  she  looked  at  him  with  sur- 
prise in  her  squinting  eyes,  as  if  asking,  "  What  is  this  for?  " 
took  the  photo  silently  and  put  it  in  the  bib  of  her  apron. 

4  I  saw  your  aunt  there,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

"  Did  you?  "  she  said,  indifferently. 

"  Are  you  all  right  here?  "  Nekhludoff  asked. 

"  Oh,  yes,  it's  all  right,"  she  said. 

"  Not  too  difficult  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no.    But  I  am  not  used  to  it  yet." 

"  I  am  glad,  for  vour  sake.  Anyhow,  it  is  better  than 
there." 

'  Than  where — there  ?  "  she  asked,  her  face  flushing 
again. 

'  There — in  the  prison,"  Nekhludoff  hurriedly  answered. 

"  Why  better  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  think  the  people  are  better.  Here  are  none  such  as 
there  must  be  there." 

'  There  are  many  good  ones  there,"  she  said. 


282  Resurrection 

"  I  have  been  seeing  about  the  Menshoffs,  and  hope  they 
will  be  liberated/'  said  Nekhludoff. 

"  God  grant  they  may.  Such  a  splendid  old  woman,"  she 
said,  again  repeating  her  opinion  of  the  old  woman,  and 
slightly  smiling. 

"  I  am  going  to  Petersburg  to-day.  Your  case  will  come 
on  soon,  and  I  hope  the  sentence  will  be  repealed." 

"  Whether  it  is  repealed  or  not  won't  matter  now,"  she 
said. 

"  Why  not  now  ?  " 

"  So,"  she  said,  looking  with  a  quick,  questioning  glance 
into  his  eyes. 

Nekhludoff  understood  the  word  and  the  look  to  mean 
that  she  wished  to  know  whether  he  still  kept  firm  to  his 
decision  or  had  accepted  her  refusal. 

"  I  do  not  know  why  it  does  not  matter  to  you,"  he  said. 
"  It  certainly  does  not  matter  as  far  as  I  am  concerned 
whether  you  are  acquitted  or  not.  I  am  ready  to  do  what  I 
told  you  in  any  case,"  he  said  decidedly. 

She  lifted  her  head  and  her  black  squinting  eyes  remained 
fixed  on  him  and  beyond  him,  and  her  face  beamed  with  joy. 
But  the  words  she  spoke  were  very  different  from  what  her 
eyes  said. 

"  You  should  not  speak  like  that,"  she  said. 

"  I  am  saying  it  so  that  you  should  know." 

"  Everything  has  been  said  about  that,  and  there  is  no  use 
speaking,"  she  said,  with  difficulty  repressing  a  smile. 

A  sudden  noise  came  from  the  hospital  ward,  and  the 
sound  of  a  child  crying. 

"  I  think  they  are  calling  me,"  she  said,  and  looked  round 
uneasily. 

"  Well,  good-bye,  then,"  he  said.  She  pretended  not  to 
see  his  extended  hand,  and,  without  taking  it,  turned  away 
and  hastily  walked  along  the  strip  of  carpet,  trying  to  hide 
the  triumph  she  felt. 

"  What  is  going  on  in  her?  What  is  she  thinking?  What 
does  she  feel  ?  Does  she  mean  to  prove  me,  or  can  she  really 
not  forgive  me?  Is  it  that  she  cannot  or  that  she  will  not 
express  what  she  feels  and  thinks?  Has  she  softened  or 
hardened?"  he  asked  himself,  and  could  find  no  answer. 
He  only  knew  that  she  had  altered  and  that  an  important 
change  was  going  on  in  her  soul,  and  this  change  united  him 
not  only  to  her  but  also  to  Him  for  whose  sake  that  change 


Resurrection  283 

was  being  wrought.  And  this  union  brought  on  a  state  of 
joyful  animation  and  tenderness. 

When  she  returned  to  the  ward,  in  which  there  stood  eight 
small  beds,  Maslova  began,  in  obedience  to  the  nurse's  order, 
to  arrange  one  of  the  beds ;  and,  bending  over  too  far  with 
the  sheet,  she  slipped  and  nearly  fell  down. 

A  little  convalescent  boy  with  a  bandaged  neck,  who  was 
looking  at  her,  laughed.  Maslova  could  no  longer  contain 
herself  and  burst  into  loud  laughter,  and  such  contagious 
laughter  that  several  of  the  children  also  burst  out  laughing, 
and  one  of  the  sisters  rebuked  her  angrily. 

'  What  are  you  giggling  at  ?  Do  you  think  you  are  where 
you  used  to  be  ?    Go  and  fetch  the  food." 

Maslova  obeyed  and  went  where  she  was  sent ;  but,  catch- 
ing the  eye  of  the  bandaged  boy  who  was  not  allowed  to 
laugh,  she  again  burst  out  laughing. 

Whenever  she  was  alone  Maslova  again  and  again  pulled 
the  photograph  partly  out  of  the  envelope  and  looked  at  it 
admiringly ;  but  only  in  the  evening  when  she  was  off  duty 
and  alone  in  the  bedroom  which  she  shared  with  a  nurse,  did 
she  take  it  quite  out  of  the  envelope  and  gaze  long  at  the 
faded  yellow  photograph,  caressing  with  her  eyes  every  de- 
tail of  faces  and  clothing,  the  steps  of  the  veranda,  and  the 
bushes  which  served  as  a  background  to  his  and  hers  and  his 
aunts'  faces,  and  could  not  cease  from  admiring  especially 
herself — her  pretty  young  face  with  the  curly  hair  round  the 
forehead.  She  was  so  absorbed  that  she  did  not  hear  her 
fellow-nurse  come  into  the  room. 

'  What  is  it  that  he's  given  you  ?  "  said  the  good-natured, 
fat  nurse,  stooping  over  the  photograph.  "Who's  this? 
You  ?  " 

'  Who  else  ?  "  said  Maslova,  looking  into  her  companion's 
face  with  a  smile. 

"  And  who's  this  ?  " 

"  Himself." 

"  And  is  this  his  mother?  " 

'  No,  his  aunt.    Wrould  you  not  have  known  me  ?  " 

'  Never.  The  whole  face  is  altered.  Why,  it  must  be  10 
years  since  then." 

''  Not  years,  but  a  lifetime,"  said  Maslova.  And  suddenly 
her  animation  went,  her  face  grew  gloomy,  and  a  deep  line 
appeared  between  her  brows. 


284 


Resurrection 


'Why  so?  Your  way  of  life  must  have  been  an  easv 
one."  ' 

'  Easy,  indeed,"  Maslova  reiterated,  closing  her  eves  and 
shaking  her  head.    "  It  is  hell." 

"  Why,  what  makes  it  so?  " 

'  What  makes  it  so !  From  eight  till  four  in  the  morning, 
and  every  night  the  same !  " 

"  Then  why  don't  they  give  it  up?  " 

''  They  can't  give  it  up  if  they  want  to.  But  what's  the 
use  of  talking?"  Maslova  said,  jumping  up  and  throwing 
the  photograph  into  the  drawer  of  the  table.  And  with  dif- 
ficulty repressing  angry  tears,  she  ran  out  into  the  passage 
and  slammed  the  door. 

While  looking  at  the  group  she  imagined  herself  such  as 
she  was  there  and  dreamt  of  her  happiness  then  and  of  the 
possibility  of  happiness  with  him  now.  But  her  companion's 
words  reminded  her  of  what  she  was  now  and  what  she  had 
been,  and  brought  back  all  the  horrors  of  that  life,  which  she 
had  felt  but  dimly,  and  not  allowed  herself  to  realise. 

It  was  only  now  that  the  memory  of  all  those  terrible  nights 
came  vividly  back  to  her,  especially  one  during  the  carnival, 
when  she  was  expecting  a  student  who  had  promised  to  buy 
her  out.  She  remembered  how  she — wearing  her  low- 
necked  silk  dress  stained  with  wine,  a  red  bow  in  her  untidy 
hair,  wearied,  weak,  half  tipsy,  having  seen  her  visitors  off, 
sat  down  during  an  interval  in  the  dancing  by  the  piano  be- 
side the  bony  pianiste  with  the  blotchy  face,  who  played  the 
accompaniments  to  the  violin,  and  began  complaining  of  her 
hard  fate ;  and  how  this  pianiste  said  that  she,  too,  was  feeling 
how  heavy  her  position  was  and  would  like  to  change  it ;  and 
how  Clara  suddenly  came  up  to  them  ;  and  how  they  all  three 
decided  to  change  their  life.  They  thought  that  the  night 
was  overhand  were  about  to  go  away,  when  suddenly  the 
noise  of  tipsy  voices  was  herd  in  the  ante-room.  The  vio- 
linist played  a  tune  and  the  pianiste  began  hammering  the 
first  figure  of  a  quadrille  on  the  piano,  to  the  tune  of  a  most 
merry  Russian  song.  A  small,  perspiring  man,  smelling  of 
spirits,  with  a  white  tie  and  swallow-tail  coat,  which  he  took 
off  after  the  first  figure,  came  up  to  her,  hiccoughing,  and 
caught  her  up,  while  another  fat  man,  with  a  beard,  and  also 
wearing  a  dress-coat  (they  had  come  straight  from  a  ball) 
caught  Clara  up,  and  for  a  long  time  they  turned,  danced, 
screamed,  drank.     .     .     .     And  so  it  went  on  for  another 


Resurrection  285 

year,  and  another,  and  a  third.  How  could  she  help  chang- 
ing? And  he  was  the  cause  of  it  all.  And,  suddenly,  all  her 
former  bitterness  against  him  reawoke ;  she  wished  to  scold, 
to  reproach  him.  She  regretted  having  neglected  the  oppor- 
tunity of  repeating  to  him  once  more  that  she  knew  him,  and 
would  not  give  in  to  him — would  not  let  him  make  use  of  her 
spiritually  as  he  had  done  physically.  And  she  longed  for 
drink  in  order  to  stifle  the  feeling  of  pity  to  herself  and  the 
useless  feeling  of  reproach  to  him.  And  she  would  have 
broken  her  word  if  she  had  been  inside  the  prison.  Here  she 
could  not  get  any  spirits  except  by  applying  to  the  medical 
assistant,  and  she  was  afraid  of  him  because  he  made  up  to 
her,  and  intimate  relations  with  men  were  disgusting  to  her 
now.  After  sitting  a  while  on  a  form  in  the  passage  she  re- 
turned to  her  little  room,  and  without  paying  any  heed  to  her 
companion's  words,  she  wept  for  a  long  time  over  her 
wrecked  life. 


286  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

AN    ARISTOCRATIC    CIRCLE. 

Nekhludoff  had  four  matters  to  attend  to  in  Petersburg. 
The  first  was  the  appeal  to  the  Senate  in  Maslova's  case ;  the 
second,  to  hand  in  Theodosia  Birukoff's  petition  to  the  com- 
mittee ;  the  third,  to  comply  with  Vera  Doukhova's  requests 
— i.e.,  try  to  get  her  friend  Shoustova  released  from  prison, 
and  get  permission  for  a  mother  to  visit  her  son  in  prison. 
Vera  Doukhova  had  written  to  him  about  this,  and  he  was 
going  to  the  Gendarmerie  Office  to  attend  to  these  two  mat- 
ters, which  he  counted  as  one. 

The  fourth  matter  he  meant  to  attend  to  was  the  case  of 
some  sectarians  who  had  been  separated  from  their  families 
and  exiled  to  the  Caucasus  because  they  read  and  discussed 
the  Gospels.  It  was  not  so  much  to  them  as  to  himself  he 
had  promised  to  do  all  he  could  to  clear  up  this  affair. 

Since  his  last  visit  to  Maslennikoff,  and  especially  since  he 
had  been  in  the  country,  Nekhludoff  had  not  exactly  formed 
a  resolution,  but  felt  with  his  whole  nature  a  loathing  for 
that  society  in  which  he  had  lived  till  then,  that  society 
which  so  carefully  hides  the  sufferings  of  millions  in  order  to 
assure  ease  and  pleasure  to  a  small  number  of  people,  that 
the  people  belonging  to  this  society  do  not  and  cannot  see 
these  sufferings,  nor  the  cruelty  and  wickedness  of  their  life. 
Nekhludoff  could  no  longer  move  in  this  society  without 
feeling  ill  at  ease  and  reproaching  himself.  And  yet  all  the 
ties  of  relationship  and  friendship,  and  his  own  habits,  were 
drawing  him  back  into  this  society.  Besides,  that  which 
alone  interested  him  now,  his  desire  to  help  Maslova  and  the 
other  sufferers,  made  it  necessary  to  ask  for  help  and  ser- 
vice from  persons  belonging  to  that  society,  persons  whom 
he  not  only  could  not  respect,  but  who  often  aroused  in  him 
indignation  and  a  feeling  of  contempt. 

When  he  came  to  Petersburg  and  stopped  at  his  aunt's — 
his  mother's  sister,  the  Countess  Tcharsky,  wife  of  a  former 
minister — Nekhludoff  at   once   found   himself  in  the  very 


Resurrection  287 

midst  of  that  aristocratic  circle  which  had  grown  so  foreign 
to  him.  This  was  very  unpleasant,  but  there  was  no  pos- 
sibility of  getting  out  of  it.  To  put  up  at  an  hotel  instead 
of  at  his  aunt's  house  would  have  been  to  offend  his  aunt, 
and,  besides,  his  aunt  had  important  connections  and  might 
be  extremely  useful  in  all  these  matters  he  meant  to  at- 
tend to. 

"What  is  this  I  hear  about  you?  All  sorts  of  marvels," 
said  the  Countess  Katerina  Ivanovna  Tcharsky,  as  she  gave 
him  his  coffee  immediately  after  his  arrival.  '  Vous  poses 
pour  un  Howard.  Helping  criminals,  going  the  round  of 
prisons,  setting  things  right." 

"  Oh,  no.     I  never  thought  of  it." 

'Why  not?  It  is  a  good  thing,  only  there  seems  to  be 
some  romantic  story  connected  with  it.  Let  us  hear  all 
about  it." 

Nekhludoff  told  her  the  whole  truth  about  his  relations 
to  Maslova. 

'  Yes,  yes,  I  remember  your  poor  mother  telling  me 
about  it.  That  was  when  you  were  staying  with  those  old 
women.  I  believe  they  wished  to  marry  you  to  their  ward 
(the  Countess  Katerina  Ivanovna  had  always  despised 
Nekhludoff's  aunts  on  his  father'  side).  So  it's  she.  Elle 
est  encore  jolie?  " 

Katerina  Ivanovna  was  a  strong,  bright,  energetic,  talka- 
tive woman  of  60.  She  was  tall  and  very  stout,  and  had  a  de- 
cided black  moustache  on  her  lip.  Nekhludoff  was  fond  of 
her  and  had  even  as  a  child  been  infected  by  her  energy 
and  mirth. 

'  No,  ma  tante,  that's  at  an  end.  I  only  wish  to  help  her, 
because  she  is  innocently  accused.  I  am  the  cause  of  it  and 
the  cause  of  her  fate  being  what  it  is.  I  feel  it  my  duty  to 
do  all  I  can  for  her." 

'  But  what  is  this  I  have  heard  about  your  intention  of 
marrying  her  ?  " 

'  Yes,  it  was  my  intention,  but  she  does  not  wish  it." 

Katerina  Ivanovna  looked  at  her  nephew  with  raised 
brows  and  drooping  eyeballs,  in  silent  amazement.  Sud- 
denly her  face  changed,  and  with  a  look  of  pleasure  she 
said :  '  Well,  she  is  wiser  than  you.  Dear  me,  you  are  a 
fool.    And  you  would  have  married  her?  " 

"  Most  certainly." 

"  After  her  having  been  what  she  was?  " 


288  Resurrection 

"  All  the  more,  since  I  was  the  cause  of  it." 
"  Well,  you  are  a  simpleton,"  said  his  aunt,  repressing  a 
smile,  "  a  terrible  simpleton;  but  it  is  just  because  you  are 
such  a  terrible  simpleton  that  I  love  you."  She  repeated 
the  word,  evidently  liking  it,  as  it  seemed  to  correctly  con- 
vey to  her  mind  the  idea  of  her  nephew's  moral  state.  '  Do 
you  know What  a  lucky  chance.  Aline  has  a  won- 
derful home — the  Magdalene  Home.  I  went  there  once. 
They  are  terribly  disgusting.  After  that  I  had  to  pray  con- 
tinually. But  Aline  is  devoted  to  it,  body  and  soul,  so  we 
shall  place  her  there — yours,  I  mean." 

"  But  she  is  condemned  to  Siberia.    I  have  come  on  pur- 
pose to  appeal  about  it.    This  is  one  of  my  requests  to  you." 
"  Dear  me,  and  where  do  you  appeal  to  in  this  case  ? ': 
"  To  the  Senate." 

"  Ah,  the  Senate !  Yes,  my  dear  Cousin  Leo  is  in  the 
Senate,  but  he  is  in  the  heraldry  department,  and  I  don't 
know  any  of  the  real  ones.  They  are  all  some  kind  of  Ger- 
mans— Gay,  Fay,  Day — tout  l' alphabet,  or  else  all  sorts  of 
Ivanoffs,  Simenoffs,  Nikitines,  or  else  Ivanenkos,  Si- 
monenkos,  Nikitenkos,  pour  varier.  Des  gens  de  I 'autre 
monde.  Well,  it  is  all  the  same.  I'll  tell  my  husband,  he 
knows  them.  He  knows  all  sorts  of  people.  I'll  tell  him, 
but  you  will  have  to  explain,  he  never  understands  me. 
Whatever  I  may  say,  he  always  maintains  he  does  not  un- 
derstand it.  C'est  un  parti  pris,  every  one  understands  but 
only  not  he." 

At  this  moment  a  footman  with  stockinged  legs  came  in 
with  a  note  on  a  silver  platter. 

"  There  now,  from  Alinet  herself.     You'll  have  a  chance 
of  hearing  Kiesewetter." 
"  Who  is  Kiesewetter?  " 

"  Kiesewetter  ?  Come  this  evening,  and  you  will  find  out 
who  he  is.  He  speaks  in  such  a  way  that  the  most  hardened 
criminals  sink  on  their  knees  and  weep  and  repent." 

The  Countess  Katerina  Ivanovna,  however  strange  it 
may  seem,  and  however  little  it  seemed  in  keeping  with  the 
rest  of  her  character,  was  a  staunch  adherent  to  that  teach- 
ing which  holds  that  the  essence  of  Christianity  lies  in  the 
belief  in  redemption.  She  went  to  meetings  where  this 
teaching,  then  in  fashion,  was  being  preached,  and  as- 
sembled the  "  faithful "  in  her  own  house.  Though  this 
teaching  repudiated  all  ceremonies,  icons,  and  sacraments, 


Resurrection  289 

Katerina  Ivanovna  had  icons  in  every  room,  and  one  on 
the  wall  above  her  bed,  and  she  kept  all  that  the  Church 
prescribed  without  noticing  any  contradiction  in  that. 

'  There  now ;  if  your  Magdalene  could  hear  him  she 
would  be  converted,"  said  the  Countess.  "Do  stay  at  home 
to-night ;  you  will  hear  him.     He  is  a  wonderful  man." 

"  It  does  not  interest  me,  ma  tante." 

'  But  I  tell  you  that  it  is  interesting,  and  you  must  come 
home.  Now  you  may  go.  What  else  do  you  want  of  me? 
Videz  votre  sac." 

"  The  next  is  in  the  fortress." 

'  In  the  fortress  ?  I  can  give  you  a  note  for  that  to  the 
Baron  Kriegsmuth.  C'est  un  tres  brave  homme.  Oh,  but 
you  know  him ;  he  was  a  comrade  of  your  father's. 
77  donne  dans  le  spiritisme.  But  that  does  not  matter,  he  is 
a  good  fellow.    What  do  you  want  there  ?  " 

"  I  want  to  get  leave  for  a  mother  to  visit  her  son  who  is 
imprisoned  there.  But  I  was  told  that  this  did  not  depend 
on  Kriegsmuth  but  on  Tcherviansky." 

"  I  do  not  like  Tcherviansky,  but  he  is  Mariette's  hus- 
band ;  we  might  ask  her.  She  will  do  it  for  me.  Elle  est 
tres  gentille." 

"  I  have  also  to  petition  for  a  woman  who  is  imprisoned 
there  without  knowing  what  for." 

'  No  fear ;  she  knows  well  enough.  They  all  know  it  very 
well,  and  it  serves  them  right,  those  short-haired*  ones." 

'  We  do  not  know  whether  it  serves  them  right  or  not. 
But  they  suffer.  You  are  a  Christian  and  believe  in  the 
Gospel  teaching  and  yet  you  are  so  pitiless." 

"  That  has  nothing  to  do  with  it.  The  Gospels  are  the 
Gospels,  but  what  is  disgusting  remains  disgusting.  It 
would  be  worse  if  I  pretended  to  love  Nihilists,  especially 
short-haired  women  Nihilists,  when  I  cannot  bear  them." 

"  Why  can  you  not  bear  them?  " 

"  You  ask  why,  after  the  1st  of  March?  "f 
'  They  did  not  all  take  part  in  it  on  the  1st  of  March." 

"  Never  mind ;  they  should  not  meddle  with  what  is  no 
business  of  theirs.     It's  not  women's  business." 

'  Yet  you  consider  that  Mariette  may  take  part  in  busi- 
ness." 

*  Many  advanced  women  wear  their  hair  short,  like  men. 
t  The  Emperor  Alexander  II.  was  killed  on  the  first  of  March, 
old  style. 


290  Resurrection 

"  Mariette?  Mariette  is  Mariette,  and  these  are  goodness 
knows  what.    Want  to  teach  everybody." 

"  Not  to  teach  but  simply  to  help  the  people." 

"  One  knows  whom  to  help  and  whom  not  to  help  with- 
out them." 

"  But  the  peasants  are  in  great  need.  I  have  just  returned 
from  the  country.  Is  it  necessary  that  the  peasants  should 
work  to  the  very  limits  of  their  strength  and  never  have 
sufficient  to  eat  while  we  are  living  in  the  greatest  luxury?  " 
said  Nekhludoff,  involuntarily  led  on  by  his  aunt's  good 
nature  into  telling  her  what  he  was  in  his  thoughts. 

'  What  do  you  want,  then  ?  That  I  should  work  and  not 
eat  anything?  " 

''  No,  I  do  not  wish  you  not  to  eat.  I  only  wish  that  we 
should  all  work  and  all  eat."  He  could  not  help  smiling  as 
he  said  it. 

Again  raising  her  brow  and  drooping  her  eyeballs  his 
aunt  look  at  him  curiously.  "  Mon  cher  vous  finirez  mal," 
she  said. 

Just  then  the  general,  and  former  minister,  Countess 
Tcharsky's  husband,  a  tall,  broad-shouldered  man,  came 
into  the  room. 

"Ah,  Dmitri,  how  d'you  do?"  he  said,  turning  his 
freshly-shaved  cheek  to  Nekhludoff  to  be  kissed.  '  When 
did  you  get  here  ?  "  And  he  silently  kissed  his  wife  on  the 
forehead. 

<:  Non  il  est  unpayable,"  the  Countess  said,  turning  to 
her  husband.  ''  He  wants  me  to  go  and  wash  clothes  and 
live  on  potatoes.  He  is  an  awful  fool,  but  all  the  same  do 
what  he  is  going  to  ask  of  you.  A  terrible  simpleton,"  she 
added.  '  Have  you  heard  ?  Kamenskaya  is  in  such  despair 
that  they  fear  for  her  life,"  she  said  to  her  husband.  "  You 
should  go  and  call  there." 

"  Yes ;  it  is  dreadful,"  said  her  husband. 

"  Go  along,  then,  and  talk  to  him.  I  must  write  some 
letters." 

Hardly  had  Nekhludoff  stepped  into  the  room  next  the 
drawing-room  than  she  called  him  back. 

"  Shall  I  write  to  Mariette,  then  ?  " 

"  Please,  ma  tante." 

' 1  shall  leave  a  blank  for  what  you  want  to  say  about  the 
short-haired  one,  and  she  will  give  her  husband  his  orders, 
and  he'll  do  it.     Do  not  think  me  wicked ;  they  are  all  so 


Resurrection  291 

disgusting,  your  protegees,  but  je  nc  leur  veux  pas  de  mal, 
bother  them.  Well,  go,  but  be  sure  to  stay  at  home  this 
evening  to  hear  Kiesewetter,  and  we  shall  have  some  pray- 
ers. And  if  only  you  do  not  resist  cela  vons  fera  beaucoup 
de  bien.  I  know  your  poor  mother  and  all  of  you  were 
always  very  backward  in  these  things." 


292  Resurrection 


CHAPTER   XV. 

AN    AVERAGE    STATESMAN. 

Count  Ivan  Michaelovitch  had  been  a  minister,  and 
was  a  man  of  strong  convictions.  The  convictions  of  Count 
Ivan  Michaelovitch  consisted  in  the  belief  that,  just  as  it 
was  natural  for  a  bird  to  feed  on  worms,  to  be  clothed  in 
feathers  and  down,  and  to  fly  in  the  air,  so  it  was  natural 
for  him  to  feed  on  the  choicest  and  most  expensive  food, 
prepared  by  highly-paid  cooks,  to  wear  the  most  comfortable 
and  most  expensive  clothing,  to  drive  with  the  best  and 
fastest  horses,  and  that,  therefore,  all  these  things  should  be 
ready  found  for  him.  Besides  this,  Count  Ivan  Michaelo- 
vitch considered  that  the  more  money  he  could  get  out  of 
the  treasury  by  all  sorts  of  means,  the  more  orders  he  had, 
including  different  diamond  insignia  of  something  or  other, 
and  the  oftener  he  spoke  to  highly-placed  individuals  of  both 
sexes,  so  much  the  better  it  was. 

All  the  rest  Count  Ivan  Michaelovitch  considered  insig- 
nificant and  uninteresting  beside  these  dogmas.  All  the  rest 
might  be  as  it  was,  or  just  the  reverse.  Count  Ivan 
Michaelovitch  lived  and  acted  according  to  these  lights  for 
40  years,  and  at  the  end  of  40  years  reached  the  position  of 
a  Minister  of  State.  The  chief  qualities  that  enabled  Count 
Ivan  Michaelovitch  to  reach  this  position  were  his  capacity 
of  understanding  the  meaning  of  documents  and  laws  and 
of  drawing  up,  though  clumsily,  intelligible  State  papers, 
and  of  spelling  them  correctly ;  secondly,  his  very  stately 
appearance,  which  enabled  him,  when  necessary,  to  seem  not 
only  extremely  proud, but  unapproachable  and  majestic,  while 
at  other  times  he  could  be  abjectly  and  almost  passionately 
servile;  thirdly,  the  absence  of  any  general  principles  or  rules, 
either  of  personal  or  administrative  morality,  which  made  it 
possible  for  him  either  to  agree  or  disagree  with  anybody 
according  to  what  was  wanted  at  the  time.  When  acting  thus 
his  only  endeavour  was  to  sustain  the  appearance  of  good 
breeding  and  not  to  seem  too  plainly  inconsistent.     As  for 


Resurrection  293 

his  actions  being  moral  or  not,  in  themselves,  or  whether 
they  were  going  to  result  in  the  highest  welfare  or  greatest 
evil  for  the  whole  of  the  Russian  Empire,  or  even  the  entire 
world,  that  was  quite  indifferent  to  him.  When  he  became 
a  minister,  not  only  those  dependent  on  him  (and  there  were 
a  great  many  of  them)  and  people  connected  with  him,  but 
many  strangers  and  even  he  himself  were  convinced  that  he 
was  a  very  clever  statesman.  But  after  some  time  had  elapsed 
and  he  had  done  nothing  and  had  nothing  to  show,  and 
when  in  accordance  with  the  law  of  the  struggle  for  existence 
others,  like  himself,  who  had  learnt  to  write  and  understand 
documents,  stately  and  unprincipled  officials,  had  displaced 
him,  he  turned  out  to  be  not  only  far  from  clever  but  very 
limited  and  badly  educated.  Though  self-assured,  his  views 
hardly  reaching  the  level  of  those  in  the  leading  articles  of 
the  Conservative  papers,  it  became  apparent  that  there  was 
nothing  in  him  to  distinguish  him  from  those  other  badly- 
educated  and  self-assured  officials  who  had  pushed  him  out, 
and  he  himself  saw  it.  But  this  did  not  shake  his  conviction 
that  he  had  to  receive  a  great  deal  of  money  out  of  the  Treas- 
ury every  year,  and  new  decorations  for  his  dress  clothes. 
This  conviction  was  so  firm  that  no  one  had  the  pluck  to 
refuse  these  things  to  him,  and  he  received  yearly,  partly  in 
form  of  a  pension,  partly  as  a  salary  for  being  a  member  in 
a  Government  institution  and  chairman  of  all  sorts  of  com- 
mittees and  councils,  several  tens  of  thousands  of  roubles, 
besides  the  right — highly  prized  by  him — of  sewing  all  sorts 
of  new  cords  to  his  shoulders  and  trousers,  and  ribbons  to 
wear  under  and  enamel  stars  to  fix  on  to  his  dress  coat.  In 
consequence  of  this  Count  Ivan  Michaelovitch  had  very  high 
connections. 

Count  Ivan  Michaelovitch  listened  to  Nekhludoff  as  he 
was  wont  to  listen  to  the  reports  of  the  permanent  secretary 
of  his  department,  and,  having  heard  him,  said  he  would 
give  him  two  notes,  one  to  the  Senator  Wolff,  of  the  Appeal 
Department.  "  All  sorts  of  things  are  reported  of  him,  but 
dans  tous  les  cas  c'est  un  homine  trcs  comme  il  faut,"  he 
said.  "  He  is  indebted  to  me,  and  will  do  all  that  is  possible." 
The  other  note  Count  Ivan  Michaelovitch  gave  Nekhludoff 
was  to  an  influential  member  of  the  Petition  Committee. 
The  story  of  Theodosia  Birukoff  as  told  by  Nekhludoff 
interested  him  very  much.  When  Nekhludoff  said  that  he 
thought  of  writing  to  the  Empress,  the  Count  replied  that  it 


294 


Resurrection 


certainly  was  a  very  touching  story,  and  might,  if  occasion 
presented  itself,  be  told  her,  but  he  could  not  promise.  Let 
the  petition  be  handed  in  in  due  form. 

Should  there  be  an  opportunity,  and  if  a  petit  comite  were 
called  on  Thursday,  he  thought  he  would  tell  her  the  story. 
As  soon  as  Nekhludoff  had  received  these  two  notes,  and 
a  note  to  Mariette  from  his  aunt,  he  at  once  set  off  to  these 
different  places. 

First  he  went  to  Mariette's.  He  had  known  her  as  a  half- 
grown  girl,  the  daughter  of  an  aristocratic  but  not  wealthy 
family,  and  had  heard  how  she  had  married  a  man  who  was 
making  a  career,  whom  Nekhludoff  had  heard  badly  spoken 
of;  and,  as  usual,  he  felt  it  hard  to  ask  a  favour  of  a  man 
he  did  not  esteem.  In  these  cases  he  always  felt  an  inner 
dissension  and  dissatisfaction,  and  wavered  whether  to  ask 
the  favour  or  not,  and  always  resolved  to  ask.  Besides  feel- 
ing himself  in  a  false  position  among  those  to  whose  set  he 
no  longer  regarded  himself  as  belonging,  who  yet  regarded 
him  as  belonging  to  them,  he  felt  himself  getting  into  the  old 
accustomed  rut,  and  in  spite  of  himself  fell  into  the  thought- 
less and  immoral  tone  that  reigned  in  that  circle.  He  felt 
that  from  the  first,  with  his  aunt,  he  involuntarily  fell  into 
a  bantering  tone  while  talking  about  serious  matters. 

Petersburg  in  general  affected  him  with  its  usual  physi- 
cally invigorating  and  mentally  dulling  effect. 

Everything  so  clean,  so  comfortably  well-arranged  and 
the  people  so  lenient  in  moral  matters,  that  life  seemed  very 
easy. 

A  fine,  clean,  and  polite  isvostchik  drove  him  past  fine, 
clean,  polite  policemen,  along  the  fine,  clean,  watered  streets, 
past  fine,  clean  houses  to  the  house  in  which  Mariette  lived. 
At  the  front  door  stood  a  pair  of  English  horses,  with  Eng- 
lish harness,  and  an  English-looking  coachman  on  the  box, 
with  the  lower  part  of  his  face  shaved,  proudly  holding  a 
whip.  The  doorkeeper,  dressed  in  a  wonderfully  clean 
livery,  opened  the  door  into  the  hall,  where  in  still  cleaner 
livery  with  gold  cords  stood  the  footman  with  his  splendid 
whiskers  well  combed  out,  and  the  orderly  on  duty  in  a 
brand-new  uniform.  "  The  general  does  not  receive,  and 
the  generaless  does  not  receive  either.  She  is  just  going  to 
drive  out." 

Nekhludoff  took  out  Katerina  Ivanovna's  letter,  and  going 
up  to  a  table  on  which  lay  a  visitors'  book,  began  to  write 


Resurrection  295 

that  he  was  sorry  not  to  have  been  able  to  see  any  one ;  when 
the  footman  went  up  the  staircase  the  doorkeeper  went  out 
and  shouted  to  the  coachman,  and  the  orderly  stood  up  rigid 
with  his  arms  at  his  sides  following  with  his  eyes  a  little, 
slight  lady,  who  was  coming  down  the  stairs  with  rapid 
steps  not  in  keeping  with  all  the  grandeur. 

Mariette  had  a  large  hat  on,  with  feathers,  a  black  dress 
and  cape,  and  new  black  gloves.  Her  face  was  covered  by 
a  veil. 

When  she  saw  Nekhludoff  she  lifted  the  veil  off  a  very 
pretty  face  with  bright  eyes  that  looked  inquiringly  at  him. 

"  Ah,  Prince  Dmitri  Ivanovitch  Nekhludoff,"  she  said, 
with  a  soft,  pleasant  voice.     "  I  should  have  known " 

"  What !  you  even  remember  my  name  ?  " 

"  I  should  think  so.  Why,  I  and  my  sisters  have  even 
been  in  love  with  you,"  she  said,  in  French.  '  But,  dear  me, 
how  you  have  altered.  Oh,  what  a  pity  I  have  to  go  out. 
But  let  us  go  up  again,"  she  said  and  stopped  hesitatingly. 
Then  she  looked  at  the  clock.  "  No,  I  can't.  I  am  going  to 
Kamenskaya's  to  attend  a  mass  for  the  dead.  She  is  terribly 
afflicted." 

"  Who  is  this  Kamenskaya?  " 

'  Have  you  not  heard  ?  Her  son  was  killed  in  a  duel.  He 
fought  Posen.  He  was  the  only  son.  Terrible !  The  mother 
is  very  much  afflicted." 

"  Yes.    I  have  heard  of  it." 

"  No,  I  had  better  go,  and  you  must  come  again,  to-night 
or  to-morrow,"  she  said,  and  went  to  the  door  with  quick, 
light  steps. 

"  I  cannot  come  to-night,"  he  said,  going  out  after  her; 
"  but  I  have  a  request  to  make  you,"  and  he  looked  at  the 
pair  of  bays  that  were  drawing  up  to  the  front  door. 

"What  is  this?" 

"  This  is  a  letter  from  aunt  to  you,"  said  Nekhludoff, 
handing  her  a  narrow  envelope,  with  a  large  crest.  '  You'll 
find  all  about  it  in  there." 

"  I  know  Countess  Katerina  Ivanovna  thinks  I  have  some 
influence  with  my  husband  in  business  matters.  She  is  mis- 
taken. I  can  do  nothing  and  do  not  like  to  interfere.  But, 
of  course,  for  you  I  am  willing  to  be  false  to  my  principle. 
What  is  this  business  about?"  she  said,  searching  in  vain 
for  her  pocket  with  her  little  black  gloved  hand. 


296  Resurrection 

"  There  is  a  girl  imprisoned  in  the  fortress,  and  she  is  ill 
and  innocent." 

"  What  is  her  name  ?  " 

"  Lydia  Shoustova.    It's  in  the  note." 

"  All  right;  I'll  see  what  I  can  do,"  she  said,  and  lightly- 
jumped  into  her  little,  softly  upholstered,  open  carriage,  its 
brightly-varnished  splash-guards  glistening  in  the  sunshine, 
and  opened  her  parasol.  The  footman  got  on  the  box  and 
gave  the  coachman  a  sign.  The  carriage  moved,  but  at  that 
moment  she  touched  the  coachman  with  her  parasol  and  the 
slim-legged  beauties,  the  bay  mares,  stopped,  bending  their 
beautiful  necks  and  stepping  from  foot  to  foot. 

"  But  you  must  come,  only,  please,  without  interested 
motives,"  and  she  looked  at  him  with  a  smile,  the  force  of 
which  she  well  knew,  and,  as  if  the  performance  over  and  she 
were  drawing  the  curtain,  she  dropped  the  veil  over  her 
face  again.  "  All  right,"  and  she  again  touched  the  coach- 
man. 

Nekhludoff  raised  his  hat,  and  the  well-bred  bays,  slightly 
snorting,  set  off,  their  shoes  clattering  on  the  pavement,  and 
the  carriage  rolled  quickly  and  smoothly  on  its  new  rubber 
tyres,  giving  a  jump  only  now  and  then  over  some  uneven- 
ness  of  the  road. 


Resurrection  297 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

AN    UP-TO-DATE    SENATOR. 

When  Nekhludoff  remembered  the  smiles  that  had 
passed  between  him  and  Mariette,  he  shook  his  head. 

"  You  have  hardly  time  to  turn  round  before  you  are 
again  drawn  into  this  life,"  he  thought,  feeling  that  discord 
and  those  doubts  which  the  necessity  to  curry  favour  from 
people  he  did  not  esteem  caused. 

After  considering  where  to  go  first,  so  as  not  to  have  to 
retrace  his  steps,  Nekhludoff  set  off  for  the  Senate.  There 
he  was  shown  into  the  office  where  he  found  a  great  many 
very  polite  and  very  clean  officials  in  the  midst  of  a  magnifi- 
cent apartment.  Maslova's  petition  was  received  and  handed 
on  to  that  Wolf,  to  whom  Nekhludoff  had  a  letter  from  his 
uncle,  to  be  examined  and  reported  on. 

'  There  will  be  a  meeting  of  the  Senate  this  week,"  the 
official  said  to  Nekhludoff,  "  but  Maslova's  case  will  hardly 
come  before  that  meeting." 

"  It  might  come  before  the  meeting  on  Wednesday,  by 
special  request,"  one  of  the  officials  remarked. 

During  the  time  Nekhludoff  waited  in  the  office,  while 
some  information  was  being  taken,  he  heard  that  the  con- 
versation in  the  Senate  was  all  about  the  duel,  and  he  heard 
a  detailed  account  of  how  a  young  man,  Kaminski,  had  been 
killed.  It  was  here  he  first  heard  all  the  facts  of  the  case 
which  was  exciting  the  interest  of  all  Petersburg.  The  story 
was  this :  Some  officers  were  eating  oysters  and,  as  usual, 
drinking  very  much,  when  one  of  them  said  something  ill- 
natured  about  the  regiment  to  which  Kaminski  belonged, 
and  Kaminski  called  him  a  liar.  The  other  hit  Kaminski. 
The  next  day  they  fought.  Kaminski  was  wounded  in  the 
stomach  and  died  two  hours  later.  The  murderer  and  the 
seconds  were  arrested,  but  it  was  said  that  though  they  were 
arrested  and  in  the  guardhouse  they  would  be  set  free  in 
a  fortnight. 

From  the  Senate  Nekhludoff  drove  to  see  an  influential 


298  Resurrection 

member  of  the  Petition  Committee,  Baron  Vorobioff,  who 
lived  in  a  splendid  house  belonging  to  the  Crown.      The 
doorkeeper  told  Nekhludoff  in  a  severe  tone  that  the  Baron 
could  not  be  seen  except  on  his  reception  days ;  that  he  was 
with  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  to-day,  and  the  next  day  he 
would  again  have  to  deliver  a  report.     Nekhludoff  left  his 
uncle's  letter  with  the  doorkeeper  and  went  on  to  see  the 
Senator  Wolf.     Wolf  had  just  had  his  lunch,  and  was  as 
usual   helping   digestion   by   smoking   a   cigar   and   pacing 
up  and  down  the  room,  when  Nekhludoff  came  in.   Vladimir 
Vasilievitch  Wolf  was  certainly  un  homme  tres  comme  il 
faut,  and  prized  this  quality  very  highly,  and   from   that 
elevation  he  looked  down  at  everybody  else.     He  could  not 
but  esteem  this  quality  of  his  very  highly,  because  it  was 
thanks  to  it  alone  that  he  had  made  a  brilliant  career,  the 
very  career  he  desired,  i.e.,  by  marriage  he  obtained  a  for- 
tune which  brought  him  in  18,000  roubles  a  year,  and  by  his 
own  exertions  the  post  of  a  senator.    He  considered  himself 
not  only  un  homme  tres  comme  il  faut,  but  also  a  man  of 
knightly  honour.     By  honour  he  understood  not  accepting 
secret  bribes  from  private  persons.     But  he  did  not  consider 
it  dishonest  to  beg  money  for  payment  of  fares  and  all  sorts 
of  travelling  expenses  from  the  Crown,  and  to  do  anything 
the  Government  might  require  of  him  in  return.     To  ruin 
hundreds  of  innocent  people,  to  cause  them  to  be  imprisoned, 
to  be  exiled  because  of  their  love  for  their  people  and  the 
religion  of  their  fathers,  as  he  had  done  in  one  of  the  govern- 
ments of  Poland  when  he  was  governor  there.     He  did  not 
consider  it  dishonourable,  but  even  thought  it  a  noble,  manly 
and  patriotic  action.    Nor  did  he  consider  it  dishonest  to  rob 
his  wife  and  sister-in-law,  as  he  had  done,  but  thought  it 
a  wise  way  of  arranging  his  family  life.     His  family  con- 
sisted of  his  common-place  wife,  his  sister-in-law,   whose 
fortune  he  had  appropriated  by  selling  her  estate  and  putting 
the  money  to  his  account,  and  his  meek,  frightened,  plain 
daughter,  who  lived  a  lonely,  weary  life,  from  which  she 
had   lately  begun   to  look   for   relaxation   in   evangelicism, 
attending  meetings  at  Aline's,  and  the  Countess  Katerina 
Ivanovna.     Wolf's  son,  who  had  grown  a  beard  at  the  age 
of  15,  and  had  at  that  age  begun  to  drink  and  lead  a  depraved 
life,  which  he  continued  to  do  till  the  age  of  20,  when  he 
was  turned  out  by  his  father  because  he  never  finished  his 
studies,  moved  in  a  low  set  and  made  debts  which  committed 


Resurrection  299 

the  father.  The  father  had  once  paid  a  debt  of  250  roubles 
for  his  son,  then  another  of  600  roubles,  but  warned  the  son 
that  he  did  it  for  the  last  time,  and  that  if  the  son  did  not 
reform  he  would  be  turned  out  of  the  house  and  all  further 
intercourse  between  him  and  his  family  would  be  put  a  stop 
to.  The  son  did  not  reform,  but  made  a  debt  of  a  thousand 
roubles,  and  took  the  liberty  of  telling  his  father  that  life 
at  home  was  a  torment  anyhow.  Then  Wolf  declared  to 
his  son  that  he  might  go  where  he  pleased — that  he  was 
no  son  of  his  any  longer.  Since  then  Wolf  pretended  he 
had  no  son,  and  no  one  at  home  dared  speak  to  him  about 
his  son,  and  Vladimir  Vasilievitch  Wolf  was  firmly  con- 
vinced that  he  had  arranged  his  family  life  in  the  best  way. 
Wrolf  stopped  pacing  up  and  down  his  study,  and  greeted 
Nekhludoff  with  a  friendly  though  slightly  ironical  smile. 
This  was  his  way  of  showing  how  comme  il  faut  he  was, 
and  how  superior  to  the  majority  of  men.  He  read  the  note 
which  Nekhludoff  handed  to  him. 

''  Please  take  a  seat,  and  excuse  me  if  I  continue  to  walk 
up  and  down,  with  your  permission,"  he  said,  putting  his 
hands  into  his  coat  pockets,  and  began  again  to  walk  with 
light,  soft  steps  across  his  large,  quietly  and  stylishly  fur- 
nished study. 

'  Very  pleased  to  make  your  acquaintance  and  of  course 
very  glad  to  do  anything  that  Count  Ivan  Michaelovitch 
wishes,"  he  said,  blowing  the  fragrant  blue  smoke  out  of 
his  mouth  and  removing  his  cigar  carefully  so  as  not  to  drop 
the  ash. 

"  I  should  only  like  to  ask  that  the  case  might  come  on 
soon,  so  that  if  the  prisoner  has  to  go  to  Siberia  she  might 
set  off  early,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

'  Yes,  yes,  with  one  of  the  first  steamers  from  Nijni.  I 
know,"  said  Wolf,  with  his  patronising  smile,  always  know- 
ing in  advance  whatever  one  wanted  to  tell  him. 

"  What  is  the  prisoner's  name?  " 

"  Maslova." 

Wolf  went  up  to  the  table  and  looked  at  a  paper  that  lay 
on  a  piece  of  cardboard  among  other  business  papers. 

'  Yes,  yes.  Maslova.  All  right,  I  will  ask  the  others. 
We  shall  hear  the  case  on  Wednesday." 

"  Then  may  I  telegraph  to  the  advocate  ?  " 

'  The  advocate !  What's  that  for  ?  But  if  you  like,  why 
not  ?  " 


3oo 


Resurrection 


"  The  causes  for  appeal  may  be  insufficient,"  said  Nekhlu- 
doff, "  but  I  think  the  case  will  show  that  the  sentence  was 
passed  owing  to  a  misunderstanding." 

"  Yes,  yes ;  it  may  be  so,  but  the  Senate  cannot  decide  the 
•case  on  its  merits,"  said  Wolf,  looking  seriously  at  the  ash 
of  his  cigar.  '  The  Senate  only  considers  the  exactness 
of  the  application  of  the  laws  and  their  right  interpretation." 

'  But  this  seems  to  me  to  be  an  exceptional  case." 

"  I  know,  I  know !  All  cases  are  exceptional.  We  shall 
do  our  duty.  That's  all."  The  ash  was  still  holding  on, 
but  had  began  breaking,  and  was  in  danger  of  falling. 

"  Do  you  often  come  to  Petersburg?  "  said  Wolf,  holding 
his  cigar  so  that  the  ash  should  not  fall.  But  the  ash  began 
to  shake,  and  Wolf  carefully  carried  it  to  the  ashpan,  into 
which  it  fell. 

'  What  a  terrible  thing  this  is  with  regard  to  Kaminski," 
he  said.  "  A  splendid  young  man.  The  only  son.  Espe- 
cially the  mother's  position,"  he  went  on,  repeating  almost 
word  for  word  what  every  one  in  Petersburg  was  at  that 
time  saying  about  Kaminski.  Wolf  spoke  a  little  about  the 
Countess  Katerina  Ivanovna  and  her  enthusiasm  for  the 
new  religious  teaching,  which  he  neither  approved  nor  dis- 
approved of,  but  which  was  evidently  needless  to  him  who 
was  so  comme  il  faut,  and  then  rang  the  bell. 

Nekhludoff  bowed. 

'  If  it  is  convenient,  come  and  dine  on  Wednesday,  and 
I  will  give  you  a  decisive  answer,"  said  Wolf,  extending 
his  hand. 

It  was  late,  and  Nekhludoff  returned  to  his  aunt's. 


Resurrection 


301 


CHAPTER    XVII 

COUNTESS    KATERINA    IVANOVNA's   DINNER    PARTY. 

Countess  Katerina  Ivanovna's  dinner  hour  was  half- 
past  seven,  and  the  dinner  was  served  in  a  new  manner  that 
Nekhludoff  had  not  yet  seen  anywhere.  After  they  had 
placed  the  dishes  on  the  table  the  waiters  left  the  room  and 
the  diners  helped  themselves.  The  men  would  not  let  the 
ladies  take  the  trouble  of  moving,  and,  as  befitted  the 
stronger  sex,  they  manfully  took  on  themselves  the  burden  of 
putting  the  food  on  the  ladies'  plates  and  of  filling  their 
glasses.  When  one  course  was  finished,  the  Countess  pressed 
the  button  of  an  electric  bell  fitted  to  the  table  and  the  waiters 
stepped  in  noiselessly  and  quickly  carried  away  the  dishes, 
changed  the  plates,  and  brought  in  the  next  course.  The  din- 
ner was  very  refined,  the  wines  very  costly.  A  French  chef 
was  working  in  the  large,  light  kitchens,  with  two  white-clad 
assistants.  There  were  six  persons  at  dinner,  the  Count  and 
Countess,  their  son  (a  surly  officer  in  the  Guards  who  sat 
with  his  elbows  on  the  table),  Nekhludoff,  a  French  lady 
reader,  and  the  Count's  chief  steward,  who  had  come  up 
from  the  country.  Here,  too,  the  conversation  was  about 
the  duel,  and  opinions  were  given  as  to  how  the  Emperor 
regarded  the  case.  It  was  known  that  the  Emperor  was  very 
much  grieved  for  the  mother's  sake,  and  all  were  grieved  for 
her,  and  as  it  was  also  known  that  the  Emperor  did  not  mean 
to  be  very  severe  to  the  murderer,  who  defended  the  honour 
of  his  uniform,  all  were  also  lenient  to  the  officer  who  had 
defended  the  honour  of  his  uniform.  Only  the  Countess 
Katerina  Ivanovna,  with  her  free  thoughtlessness,  expressed 
her  disapproval. 

'  They  get  drunk,  and  kill  unobjectionable  young  men. 
I  should  not  forgive  them  on  any  account,"  she  said. 

'  Now,  that's  a  thing  I  cannot  understand,"  said  the  Count. 

"  I  know  that  you  never  can  understand  what  I  say,"  the 
Countess  began,  and  turning  to  Nekhludoff,  she  added : 
"  Everybody  understands  except  my  husband.     I  say  I  am 


302  Resurrection 

sorry  for  the  mother,  and  I  do  not  wish  him  to  be  con- 
tented, having  killed  a  man."    Then  her  son,  who  had  been 
silent  up  to  then,  took  the  murderer's  part,  and  rudely  at- 
tacked his  mother,  arguing  that  an  officer  could  not  behave 
in  any  other  way,  because  his  fellow-officers  would  con- 
demn him  and  turn  him  out  of  the  regiment.     NekhludofT 
listened  to  the  conversation  without  joining  in.     Having 
been  an  officer  himself,  he  understood,  though  he  did  not 
agree  with,  young  Tcharsky's  arguments,  and  at  the  same 
time  he  could  not  help  contrasting  the  fate  of  the  officer  with 
that  of  a  beautiful  young  convict  whom  he  had  seen  in  the 
prison,  and  who  was  condemned  to  the  mines  for  having 
killed  another  in  a  fight.  Both  had  turned  murderers  through 
drunkenness.    The  peasant  had  killed  a  man  in  a  moment  of 
irritation,  and  he  was  parted  from  his  wife  and  family,  had 
chains  on  his  legs,  and  his  head  shaved,  and  was  going  to 
hard  labour  in  Siberia,  while  the  officer  was  sitting  in  a  fine 
room  in  the  guardhouse,  eating  a  good  dinner,  drinking  good 
wine,  and  reading  books,  and  would  be  set  free  in  a  day  or 
two  to  live  as  he  had  done  before,  having  only  become  more 
interesting  by  the  affair.    NekhludofT  said  what  he  had  been 
thinking,  and  at  first  his  aunt,  Katerina  Ivanovna,  seemed  to 
agree  with  him,  but  at  last  she  became  silent  as  the  rest  had 
done,  and  NekhludofT  felt  that  he  had  committed  something 
akin  to  an  impropriety.     In  the  evening,  soon  after  dinner, 
the  large  hall,  with  high-backed  carved  chairs  arranged  in 
rows  as  for  a  meeting,  and  an  armchair  next  to  a  little  table, 
with  a  bottle  of  water  for  the  speaker,  began  to  fill  with  peo- 
ple come  to  hear  the  foreigner,   Kiesewetter,  preach.     El- 
egant equipages  stopped  at  the  front  entrance.     In  the  hall 
sat  richly-dressed  ladies  in  silks  and  velvets  and  lace,  with 
false  hair  and  false  busts  and  drawn-in  waists,  and  among 
them  men  in  uniform  and  evening  dress,  and  about  five  per- 
sons of  the  common  class,  i.e.,  two  men-servants,  a  shop- 
keeper, a  footman,  and  a  coachman.     Kiesewetter,  a  thick- 
set, grisly  man,  spoke  English,  and  a  thin  young  girl,  with  a 
pince-nez,  translated  it  into  Russian  promptly  and  well.    He 
was  saying  that  our  sins  were  so  great,  the  punishment  for 
them  so  great  and  so  unavoidable,  that  it  was  impossible  to 
live  anticipating  such  punishment.     "  Beloved  brothers  and 
sisters,  let  us  for  a  moment  consider  what  we  are  doing,  how 
we  are  living,  how  we  have  offended  against  the  all-loving 
Lord,  and  how  we  make  Christ  suffer,  and  we  cannot  but 


> 

w 


ft 


u 


z    m 


Resurrection  303 

understand  that  there  is  no  forgiveness  possible  for  us,  no 
escape  possible,  that  we  are  all  doomed  to  perish.  A  terrible 
fate  awaits  us — everlasting  torment,"  he  said,  with  tears  in 
his  trembling  voice.  "  Oh,  how  can  we  be  saved,  brothers? 
How  can  we  be  saved  from  this  terrible,  unquenchable  fire? 
The  house  is  in  flames ;  there  is  no  escape." 

He  was  silent  for  a  while,  and  real  tears  flowed  down  his 
cheeks.  It  was  for  about  eight  years  that  each  time  when  he 
got  to  this  part  of  his  speech,  which  he  himself  liked  so  well, 
he  felt  a  choking  in  his  throat  and  an  irritation  in  his  nose, 
and  the  tears  came  in  his  eyes,  and  these  tears  touched  him 
still  more.  Sobs  were  heard  in  the  room.  The  Countess 
Katerina  Ivanovna  sat  with  her  elbows  on  an  inlaid  table, 
leaning  her  head  on  her  hands,  and  her  shoulders  were  shak- 
ing. The  coachman  looked  with  fear  and  surprise  at  the  for- 
eigner, feeling  as  if  he  was  about  to  run  him  down  with  the 
pole  of  his  carriage  and  the  foreigner  would  not  move  out  of 
his  way.  All  sat  in  positions  similar  to  that  Katerina  Ivan- 
ovna had  assumed.  Wolf's  daughter,  a  thin,  fashionably- 
dressed  girl,  very  like  her  father,  knelt  with  her  face  in  her 
hands. 

The  orator  suddenly  uncovered  his  face,  and  smiled  a  very 
real-looking  smile,  such  as  actors  express  joy  with,  and  be- 
gan again  with  a  sweet,  gentle  voice : 

"  Yet  there  is  a  way  to  be  saved.  Here  it  is — a  joyful,  easy 
way.  The  salvation  is  the  blood  shed  for  us  by  the  only  son 
of  God,  who  gave  himself  up  to  torments  for  our  sake.  His 
sufferings,  His  blood,  will  save  us.  Brothers  and  sisters,"  he 
said,  again  with  tears  in  his  voice,  "  let  us  praise  the  Lord, 
who  has  given  His  only  begotten  son  for  the  redemption  of 
mankind.    His  holy  blood.     .     .     . 

Nekhludoff  felt  so  deeply  disgusted  that  he  rose  silently, 
and  frowning  and  keeping  back  a  groan  of  shame,  he  left  oh 
tiptoe,  and  went  to  his  room. 


304  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

OFFICIALDOM. 

Hardly  had  Nekhludoff  finished  dressing  the  next  morn- 
ing, just  as  he  was  about  to  go  down,  the  footman  brought 
him  a  card  from  the  Moscow  advocate.  The  advocate  had 
come  to  St.  Petersburg  on  business  of  his  own,  and  was  going 
to  be  present  when  Maslova's  case  was  examined  in  the  Sen- 
ate, if  that  would  be  soon.  The  telegram  sent  by  Nekhludoff 
crossed  him  on  the  way.  Having  found  out  from  Nekhlu- 
doff when  the  case  was  going  to  be  heard,  and  which  senators 
were  to  be  present,  he  smiled.  "  Exactly,  all  the  three  types  of 
senators,"  he  said.  "  Wolf  is  a  Petersburg  official ;  Skovo- 
rodnikoff  is  a  theoretical,  and  Bay  a  practical,  lawyer,  and 
therefore  the  most  alive  of  them  all,"  said  the  advocate. 
'  There  is  most  hope  of  him.  Well,  and  how  about  the  Peti- 
tion Committee?  " 

"  Oh,  I'm  going  to  Baron  Vorobioff  to-day.  I  could  not 
get  an  audience  with  him  yesterday. 

'  Do  you  know  why  he  is  Baron  Vorobioff  ?  "  said  the  ad- 
vocate, noticing  the  slightly  ironical  stress  that  Nekhludoff 
put  on  this  foreign  title,  followed  by  so  very  Russian  a  sur- 
name. 

'  That  was  because  the  Emperor  Paul  rewarded  the 
grandfather — I  think  he  was  one  of  the  Court  footmen — by 
giving  him  this  title.  He  managed  to  please  him  in  some 
way,  so  he  made  him  a  baron.  '  It's  my  wish,  so  don't  gain- 
say me? v  And  so  there's  a  Baron  Vorobioff,  and  very  proud 
of  the  title.    He  is  a  dreadful  old  humbug." 

'  Well,  I'm  going  to  see  him,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

'  That's  good ;  we  can  go  together.  I  shall  give  you  a 
lift." 

As  they  were  going  to  start,  a  footman  met  Nekhludoff  in 
the  ante-room,  and  handed  him  a  note  from  Mariette : 

Pour  vous  faire  plaisir,  j'ai  agi  tout  a  fait  contre  mes  principes 
et  j'ai  intercede  auprcs  dc  mon  mari  pour  votrc  protegee.  II  se 
trouve  que  cctte  pcrsonne  pent  etre  relaxee  immediatement.  Mon 
mari  a  ecrit  au  commandant.  Vencz  done  disinterestedly.  Je  vous 
attends.  M. 


Resurrection  305 

"  Just  fancy !  "  said  Nekhludoff  to  the  advocate.  "  Is 
this  not  dreadful?  A  woman  whom  they  are  keeping  in 
solitary  confinement  for  seven  months  turns  out  to  be  quite 
innocent,  and  only  a  word  was  needed  to  get  her  released." 
'  That's  always  so.  Well,  anyhow,  you  have  succeeded  in 
getting  what  you  wanted." 

'  Yes,  but  this  success  grieves  me.  Just  think  what  must 
be  going  on  there.    Why  have  they  been  keeping  her?  " 

"  Oh,  it's  best  not  to  look  too  deeply  into  it.  Well,  then, 
I  shall  give  you  a  lift,  if  I  may,"  said  the  advocate,  as  they 
left  the  house,  and  a  fine  carriage  that  the  advocate  had  hired 
drove  up  to  the  door.  "  It's  Baron  Vorobioff  you  are  going 
to  see?" 

The  advocate  gave  the  driver  his  directions,  and  the  two 
good  horses  quickly  brought  Nekhludoff  to  the  house  in 
which  the  Baron  lived.  The  Baron  was  at  home.  A  young 
official  in  uniform,  with  a  long,  thin  neck,  a  much  protrud- 
ing Adam's  apple,  and  an  extremely  light  walk,  and  two 
ladies  were  in  the  first  room. 

'  Your  name,  please?  "  the  young  man  with  the  Adam's 
apple  asked,  stepping  with  extreme  lightness  and  grace 
across  from  the  ladies  to  Nekhludoff. 

Nekhludoff  gave  his  name. 

"  The  Baron  was  just  mentioning  you,"  said  the  young 
man,  the  Baron's  adjutant,  and  went  out  through  an  inner 
door.  He  returned,  leading  a  weeping  lady  dressed  in 
mourning.  With  her  bony  fingers  the  lady  was  trying 
to  pull  her  tangled  veil  over  her  face  in  order  to  hide  her 
tears. 

"  Come  in,  please,"  said  the  young  man  to  Nekhludoff, 
lightly  stepping  up  to  the  door  of  the  study  and  holding  it 
open.  When  Nekhludoff  came  in,  he  saw  before  him  a 
thick-set  man  of  medium  height,  with  short  hair,  in  a  frock- 
coat,  who  was  sitting  in  an  armchair  opposite  a  large  writ- 
ing-table, and  looking  gaily  in  front  of  himself. 

The  kindly,  rosy  red  face,  striking  by  its  contrast  with 
the  white  hair,  moustaches,  and  beard,  turned  towards 
Nekhludoff  with  a  friendly  smile. 

'  Very  glad  to  see  you.  Your  mother  and  I  were  old 
acquaintances  and  friends.  I  have  seen  you  as  a  boy,  and 
later  on  as  an  officer.  Sit  down  and  tell  me  what  I  can  do 
for  you.  Yes,  yes,"  he  said,  shaking  his  cropped  white  head, 
while  Nekhludoff  was  telling  him  Theodosia's  story.    "  Go 


306  Resurrection 

on,  go  on.  I  quite  understand.  It  is  certainly  very  touch- 
ing.   And  have  you  handed  in  the  petition  ?  " 

"  I  have  got  the  petition  ready,"  Nekhludoff  said,  getting 
it  out  of  his  pocket ;  "  but  I  thought  of  speaking  to  you  first 
in  hopes  that  the  case  would  then  get  special  attention  paid 
to  it." 

"  You  have  done  very  well.  I  shall  certainly  report  it 
myself,"  said  the  Baron,  unsuccessfully  trying  to  put  an 
expression  of  pity  on  his  merry  face.  '  Very  touching !  It 
is  clear  she  was  but  a  child ;  the  husband  treated  her 
roughly,  this  repelled  her,  but  as  time  went  on  they  fell  in 
love  with  each  other.    Yes,  I  will  report  the  case." 

"  Count  Ivan  Michaelovitch  was  also  going  to  speak 
about  it." 

Nekhludoff  had  hardly  got  these  words  out  when  the 
Baron's  face  changed. 

"  You  had  better  hand  in  the  petition  into  the  office,  after 
all,  and  I  shall  do  what  I  can,"  he  said. 

At  this  moment  the  young  official  again  entered  the 
room,  evidently  showing  off  his  elegant  manner  of  walking. 

"  That  lady  is  asking  if  she  may  say  a  few  words  more." 

"  Well,  ask  her  in.  Ah,  mon  cher,  how  many  tears  we 
have  to  see  shed !  If  only  we  could  dry  them  all.  One  does 
all  that  lies  within  one's  power." 

The  lady  entered. 

"  I  forgot  to  ask  you  that  he  should  not  be  allowed  to 
give  up  the  daughter,  because  he  is  ready    .    .    ." 

"  But  I  have  alreadv  told  you  that  I  should  do  all  I 
can." 

"  Baron,  for  the  love  of  God  !  You  will  save  the  mother  ?  " 

She  seized  his  hand,  and  began  kissing  it. 

"  Everything  shall  be  done." 

When  the  lady  went  out  Nekhludoff  also  began  to  take 
leave. 

"  We  shall  do  what  we  can.  I  shall  speak  about  it  at  the 
Ministry  of  Justice,  and  when  we  get  their  answer  we  shall 
do  what  we  can." 

Nekhludoff  left  the  study,  and  went  into  the  office  again. 
Just  as  in  the  Senate  office,  he  saw,  in  a  splendid  apartment, 
a  number  of  very  elegant  officials,  clean,  polite,  severely 
correct  and  distinguished  in  dress  and  in  speech. 

"  How  many  there  are  of  them ;  how  very  many  and  how 
well  fed  they  all  look!    And  what  clean  shirts  and  hands 


Resurrection  307 

they  all  have,  and  how  well  all  their  boots  are  polished! 
Who  does  it  for  them?  How  comfortable  they  all  are,  as 
compared  not  only  with  the  prisoners,  but  even  with  the 
peasants !  "  These  thoughts  again  involuntarily  came  to 
Nekhludoff's  mind. 


3o8 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


AN  OLD  GENERAL  OF  REPUTE. 


The  man  on  whom  depended  the  easing  of  the  fate  of  the 
Petersburg  prisoners  was  an  old  General  of  repute — a 
baron  of  German  descent,  who,  as  it  was  said  of  him,  had 
outlived  his  wits.  He  had  received  a  profusion  of  orders, 
but  only  wore  one  of  them,  the  Order  of  the  White  Cross. 
He  had  received  this  order,  which  he  greatly  valued,  while 
serving  in  the  Caucasus,  because  a  number  of  Russian  peas- 
ants, with  their  hair  cropped,  and  dressed  in  uniform  and 
armed  with  guns  and  bayonets,  had  killed  at  his  command 
more  than  a  thousand  men  who  were  defending  their  liberty, 
their  homes,  and  their  families.  Later  on  he  served  in  Poland, 
and  there  also  made  Russian  peasants  commit  many  dif- 
ferent crimes,  and  got  more  orders  and  decorations  for  his 
uniform.  Then  he  served  somewhere  else,  and  now  that  he 
was  a  weak,  old  man  he  had  this  position,  which  insured 
him  a  good  house,  an  income  and  respect.  He  strictly  ob- 
served all  the  regulations  which  were  prescribed  "  from 
above,"  and  was  very  zealous  in  the  fulfilment  of  these 
regulations,  to  which  he  ascribed  a  special  importance,  con- 
sidering that  everything  else  in  the  world  might  be  changed 
except  the  regulations  prescribed  "  from  above."  His  duty 
was  to  keep  political  prisoners,  men  and  women,  in  solitary 
confinement  in  such  a  way  that  half  of  them  perished  in  10 
years'  time,  some  going  out  of  their  minds,  some  dying  of 
consumption,  some  committing  suicide  by  starving  them- 
selves to  death,  cutting  their  veins  with  bits  of  glass,  hang- 
ing, or  burning  themselves  to  death. 

The  old  General  was  not  ignorant  of  this ;  it  all  happened 
within  his  knowledge ;  but  these  cases  no  more  touched  his 
conscience  than  accidents  brought  on  by  thunderstorms, 
floods,  etc.  These  cases  occurred  as  a  consequence  of  the 
fulfilment  of  regulations  prescribed  "  from  above  "  by  His 
Imperial  Majesty.  These  regulations  had  to  be  carried  out 
without  fail,  and  therefore  it  was  absolutely  useless  to  think 


Resurrection  309 

of  the  consequences  of  their  fulfilment.  The  old  General 
did  not  even  allow  himself  to  think  of  such  things,  counting- 
it  his  patriotic  duty  as  a  soldier  not  to  think  of  them  for  fear 
of  getting  weak  in  the  carrying  out  of  these,  according  to 
his  opinion,  very  important  obligations.  Once  a  week  the 
old  General  made  the  round  of  the  cells,  one  of  the  duties 
of  his  position,  and  asked  the  prisoners  if  they  had  any  re- 
quests to  make.  The  prisoners  had  all  sorts  of  requests  He 
listened  to  them  quietly,  in  impenetrable  silence,  and  never 
fulfilled  any  of  their  requests,  because  they  were  all  in  dis- 
accord with  the  regulations.  Just  as  Nekhludoff  drove  up 
to  the  old  General's  house,  the  high  notes  of  the  bells  on 
the  belfry  clock  chimed  "  Great  is  the  Lord,"  and  then 
struck  two.  The  sound  of  these  chimes  brought  back  to 
Nekhludoff  s  mind  what  he  had  read  in  the  notes  of  the 
Decembrists*  about  the  way  this  sweet  music  repeated 
every  hour  re-echoes  in  the  hearts  of  those  imprisoned  for 
life. 

Meanwhile  the  old  General  was  sitting  in  his  darkened 
drawing-room  at  an  inlaid  table,  turning  a  saucer  on  a  piece 
of  paper  with  the  aid  of  a  young  artist,  the  brother  of  one  of 
his  subordinates.  The  thin,  weak,  moist  fingers  of  the  artist 
were  pressed  against  the  wrinkled  and  stiff-jointed  fingers 
of  the  old  General,  and  the  hands  joined  in  this  manner  were 
moving  together  with  the  saucer  over  a  paper  that  had  all  the 
letters  of  the  alphabet  written  on  it.  The  saucer  was  answer- 
ing the  questions  put  by  the  General  as  to  how  souls  will  rec- 
ognise each  other  after  death. 

When  Nekhludoff  sent  in  his  card  by  an  orderly  acting  as 
footman,  the  soul  of  Joan  of  Arc  was  speaking  by  the  aid  of 
the  saucer.  The  soul  of  Joan  of  Arc  had  already  spelt  letter 
by  letter  the  words  :  "  They  well  knew  each  other,"  and  these 
words  had  been  written  down.  When  the  orderly  came  in 
the  saucer  had  stopped  first  on  b,  then  on  y,  and  began  jerk- 
ing hither  and  thither.  This  jerking  was  caused  by  the 
General's  opinion  that  the  next  letter  should  be  b,  i.e.,  Joan 
of  Arc  ought  to  say  that  the  souls  will  know  each  other  by 
being  cleansed  of  all  that  is  earthly,  or  something  of  the 
kind,  clashing  with  the  opinion  of  the  artist,  who  thought 
the  next  letter  should  be  /,  i.e.,  that  the  souls  should  know 

*  The  Decembrists  were  a  group  who  attempted,  but  failed,  to  put 
an  end  to  absolutism  in  Russia  at  the  time  of  the  accession  of 
Nicholas  the  First. 


3io 


Resurrection 


each  other  by  light  emanating  from  their  astral  bodies.  The 
General,  with  his  bushy  grey  eyebrows  gravely  contracted, 
sat  gazing  at  the  hands  on  the  saucer,  and,  imagining  that  it 
was  moving  of  its  own  accord,  kept  pulling  the  saucer 
towards  w.  The  pale-faced  young  artist,  with  his  thin  hair 
combed  back  behind  his  ears,  was  looking  with  his  lifeless 
blue  eyes  into  a  dark  corner  of  the  drawing-room,  nervously 
moving  his  lips  and  pulling  the  saucer  towards  /. 

The  General  made  a  wry  face  at  the  interruption,  but  after 
a  moment's  pause  he  took  the  card,  put  on  his  pince-nez,  and, 
uttering  a  groan,  rose,  in  spite  of  the  pain  in  his  back,  to  his 
full  height,  rubbing  his  numb  fingers. 

"  Ask  him  into  the  study." 

"  With  your  excellency's  permission  I  will  finish  it  alone," 
said  the  artist,  rising.    "  I  feel  the  presence." 

"  All  right,  finish  alone,"  the  General  said,  severely  and  de- 
cidedly, and  stepped  quickly,  with  big,  firm,  and  measured 
strides,  into  his  study. 

'  Very  pleased  to  see  you,"  said  the  General  to  Nekhlu- 
doff,  uttering  the  friendly  words  in  a  gruff  tone,  and  point- 
ing to  an  armchair  by  the  side  of  the  writing-table.  "  Have 
you  been  in  Petersburg  long  ?  " 

Nekhludoff  replied  that  he  had  only  lately  arrived. 

"  Is  the  Princess,  your  mother,  well  ?  " 

"  My  mother  is  dead." 

"  Forgive  me ;  I  am  very  sorry.  My  son  told  me  he  had 
met  you." 

The  General's  son  was  making  the  same  kind  of  career  for 
himself  that  the  father  had  done,  and,  having  passed  the  Mil- 
itary Academy,  was  now  serving  in  the  Inquiry  Office,  and 
was  very  proud  of  his  duties  there.  His  occupation  was  the 
management  of  Government  spies. 

"  Why,  I  served  with  your  father.  We  were  friends — 
comrades.    And  you  ;  are  vou  also  in  the  Service  ?  " 

"  No,  I  am  not" 

The  General  bent  his  head  disapprovingly. 

"  I  have  a  request  to  make,  General." 

"  Ve — ery  pleased.  In  what  way  can  I  be  of  service  to 
you? 

"  If  my  request  is  out  of  place  pray  pardon  me.  But  I  am 
obliged  to  make  it." 

"What  is  it?" 

"  There  is  a  certain  Gourkevitch  imprisoned  in  the  fort- 


Resurrection  311 

ress ;  his  mother  asks  for  an  interview  with  him,  or  at  least 
to  be  allowed  to  send  him  some  books." 

The  General  expressed  neither  satisfaction  nor  dissatisfac- 
tion at  NekhludofFs  request,  but  bending  his  head  on  one 
side  he  closed  his  eyes  as  if  considering.  In  reality  he  was 
not  considering  anything,  and  was  not  even  interested  in 
NekhludofFs  questions,  well  knowing  that  he  would  answer 
them  according  to  the  law.  He  was  simply  resting  mentally 
and  not  thinking  at  all. 

'  You  see,"  he  said  at  last,  '*'  this  does  not  depend  on  me. 
There  is  a  regulation,  confirmed  by  His  Majesty,  concerning 
interviews ;  and  as  to  books,  we  have  a  library,  and  they  may 
have  what  is  permitted." 

'  Yes,  but  he  wants  scientific  books ;  he  wishes  to  study." 

"  Don't  you  believe  it,"  growled  the  General.  "  It's  not 
study  he  wants ;  it  is  just  only  restlessness." 

"  But  what  is  to  be  done  ?  They  must  occupy  their  time 
somehow  in  their  hard  condition,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

'  They  are  always  complaining,"  said  the  General.  "  We 
know  them." 

He  spoke  of  them  in  a  general  way,  as  if  they  were  all  a 
specially  bad  race  of  men.  "  They  have  conveniences  here 
which  can  be  found  in  few  places  of  confinement,"  said  the 
General,  and  he  began  to  enumerate  the  comforts  the  pris- 
oners enjoyed,  as  if  the  aim  of  the  institution  was  to  give  the 
people  imprisoned  there  a  comfortable  home. 

"  It  is  true  it  used  to  be  rather  rough,  but  now  they  are 
very  well  kept  here,"  he  continued.  "  They  have  three 
courses  for  dinner — and  one  of  them  meat — cutlets,  or  ris- 
soles ;  and  on  Sundays  they  get  a  fourth — a  sweet  dish.  God 
grant  every  Russian  may  eat  as  well  as  they  do." 

Like  all  old  people,  the  General,  having  once  got  on  to  a 
familiar  topic,  enumerated  the  various  proofs  he  had  often 
given  before  of  the  prisoners  being  exacting  and  ungrateful. 

'  They  get  books  on  spiritual  subjects  and  old  journals. 
We  have  a  library.  Only  they  rarely  read.  At  first  they 
seem  interested,  later  on  the  new  books  remain  uncut,  and 
the  old  ones  with  their  leaves  unturned.  We  tried  them," 
said  the  old  General,  with  the  dim  likeness  of  a  smile.  "  We 
put  bits  of  paper  in  on  purpose,  which  remained  just  as  they 
had  been  placed.  Writing  is  also  not  forbidden,"  he  con- 
tinued. "  A  slate  is  provided,  and  a  slate  pencil,  so  that  .they 
can  write  as  a  pastime.     They  can  wipe  the  slate  and  write 


312 


Resurrection 


again.  But  they  don't  write,  either.  Oh,  they  very  soon  get 
quite  tranquil.  At  first  they  seem  restless,  but  later  on  they 
even  grow  fat  and  become  very  quiet."  Thus  spoke  the  Gen- 
eral, never  suspecting  the  terrible  meaning  of  his  words. 

Nekhludoff  listened  to  the  hoarse  old  voice,  looked  at  the 
stiff  limbs,  the  swollen  eyelids  under  the  grey  brows,  at  the 
old,  clean-shaved,  flabby  jaw,  supported  by  the  collar  of  the 
military  uniform,  at  the  white  cross  that  this  man  was  so 
proud  of,  chiefly  because  he  had  gained  it  by  exceptionally 
cruel  and  extensive  slaughter,  and  knew  that  it  was  useless 
to  reply  to  the  old  man  or  to  explain  the  meaning  of  his  own 
words  to  him. 

He  made  another  effort,  and  asked  about  the  prisoner 
Shoustova,  for  whose  release,  as  he  had  been  informed  that 
morning,  orders  were  given. 

"  Shoustova — Shoustova  ?  I  cannot  remember  all  their 
names,  there  are  so  many  of  them,"  he  said,  as  if  reproach- 
ing them  because  there  were  so  many.  He  rang,  and  ordered 
the  secretary  to  be  called.  While  waiting  for  the  latter,  he 
began  persuading  Nekhludoff  to  serve,  saying  that  "  honest 
noblemen,"  counting  himself  among  the  number,  "  were  par- 
ticularly needed  by  the  Tsar  and — the  country,"  he  added, 
evidently  only  to  round  off  his  sentence.  "  I  am  old,  yet  I 
am  serving  still,  as  well  as  my  strength  allows." 

The  secretary,  a  dry,  emaciated  man,  with  restless,  intelli- 
gent eyes,  came  in  and  reported  that  Shoustova  was  impris- 
oned in  some  queer,  fortified  place,  and  that  he  had  received 
no  orders  concerning  her. 

'  When  we  get  the  order  we  shall  let  her  out  the  same  day. 
We  do  not  keep  them ;  we  do  not  value  their  visits  much," 
said  the  General,  with  another  attempt  at  a  playful  smile, 
which  only  distorted  his  old  face. 

Nekhludoff  rose,  trying  to  keep  from  expressing  the  mixed 
feelings  of  repugnance  and  pity  which  he  felt  towards  this 
terrible  old  man.  The  old  man  on  his  part  considered  that  he 
should  not  be  too  severe  on  the  thoughtless  and  evidently 
misguided  son  of  his  old  comrade,  and  should  not  leave  him 
without  advice. 

"  Good-bye,  my  dear  fellow ;  do  not  take  it  amiss.  It  is 
my  affection  that  makes  me  say  it.  Do  not  keep  company 
with  such  people  as  we  have  at  our  place  here.  There  are  no 
innocent  ones  among  them.  All  these  people  are  most  im- 
moral.   We  know  them,"  he  said,  in  a  tone  that  admitted  no 


Resurrection  3  1  3 

possibility  of  doubt.  And  he  did  not  doubt,  not  because  the 
thing  was  so,  but  because  if  it  was  not  so,  he  would  have  to 
admit  himself  to  be  not  a  noble  hero  living  out  the  last  days 
of  a  good  life,  but  a  scoundrel,  who  sold,  and  still  continued 
in  his  old  age  to  sell,  his  conscience. 

"  Best  of  all,  go  and  serve,"  he  continued ;  "  the  Tsar 
needs  honest  men — and  the  country,"  he  added.  "  Well, 
supposing  I  and  the  others  refused  to  serve,  as  you  are 
doing?  Who  would  be  left ?  Here  we  are,  finding  fault  with 
the  order  of  things,  and  yet  not  wishing  to  help  the  Govern- 
ment." 

With  a  deep  sigh  Nekhludoff  made  a  low  bow,  shook 
the  large,  bony  hand  condescendingly  stretched  out  to  him, 
and  left  the  room. 

The  General  shook  his  head  reprovingly,  and  rubbing 
his  back,  he  again  went  into  the  drawing-room  where  the 
artist  was  waiting  for  him.  He  had  already  written  down 
the  answer  given  by  the  soul  of  Joan  of  Arc.  The  General 
put  on  his  pince-nez  and  read,  "  Will  know  one  another  by 
light  emanating  from  their  astral  bodies." 

"  Ah,"  said  the  General,  with  approval,  and  closed  his 
eyes.  '  But  how  is  one  to  know  if  the  light  of  all  is  alike  ?  " 
he  asked,  and  again  crossed  fingers  with  the  artist  on  the 
saucer. 

The  isvostchik  drove  Nekhludoff  out  of  the  gate. 

"  It  is  dull  here,  sir,"  he  said,  turning  to  Nekhludoff.  "  I 
almost  wished  to  drive  off  without  waiting  for  you." 

Nekhludoff  agreed.  "  Yes,  it  is  dull,"  and  he  took  a  deep 
breath,  and  looked  up  with  a  sense  of  relief  at  the  grey 
clouds  that  were  floating  in  the  sky,  and  at  the  glistening 
ripples  made  by  the  boats  and  steamers  on  the  Neva. 


3H 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XX. 
maslova's  appeal. 

The  next  day  Maslova's  case  was  to  be  examined  at  the 
Senate,  and  Nekhludoff  and  the  advocate  met  at  the  ma- 
jestic portal  of  the  building,  where  several  carriages  were 
waiting.  Ascending  the  magnificent  and  imposing  stair- 
case to  the  first  floor,  the  advocate,  who  knew  all  the  ins 
and  outs  of  the  place,  turned  to  the  left  and  entered  through 
a  door  which  had  the  date  of  the  introduction  of  the  Code 
of  Laws  above  it. 

After  taking  off  his  overcoat  in  the  first  narrow  room,  he 
found  out  from  the  attendant  that  the  Senators  had  all  ar- 
rived, and  that  the  last  had  just  come  in.  Fanarin,  in  his 
swallow-tail  coat,  a  white  tie  above  the  white  shirt-front, 
and  a  self-confident  smile  on  his  lips,  passed  into  the  next 
room.  In  this  room  there  were  to  the  right  a  large  cup- 
board and  a  table,  and  to  the  left  a  winding  staircase,  which 
an  elegant  official  in  uniform  was  descending  with  a  port- 
folio under  his  arm.  In  this  room  an  old  man  with  long, 
white  hair  and  a  patriarchal  appearance  attracted  every  one's 
attention.  He  wore  a  short  coat  and  grey  trousers.  Two 
attendants  stood  respectfully  beside  him.  The  old  man  with 
white  hair  entered  the  cupboard  and  shut  himself  in. 

Fanarin  noticed  a  fellow-advocate  dressed  in  the  same 
way  as  himself,  with  a  white  tie  and  dress  coat,  and  at  once 
entered  into  an  animated  conversation  with  him. 

Nekhludoff  was  meanwhile  examining  the  people  in  the 
room.  The  public  consisted  of  about  15  persons,  of  whom 
two  were  ladies — a  young  one  with  a  pince-nez,  and  an  old, 
grey-haired  one. 

A  case  of  libel  was  to  be  heard  that  day,  and  therefore 
the  public  were  more  numerous  than  usual — chiefly  persons 
belonging  to  the  journalistic  world. 

The  usher,  a  red-cheeked,  handsome  man  in  a  fine  uni- 
form, came  up  to  Fanarin  and  asked  him  what  his  business 


Resurrection  3  1  5 

was.  When  he  heard  that  it  was  the  case  of  Maslova,  he 
noted  something  down  and  walked  away.  Then  the  cup- 
board door  opened  and  the  old  man  with  the  patriarchal  ap- 
pearance stepped  out,  no  longer  in  a  short  coat  but  in  a 
gold-trimmed  attire,  which  made  him  look  like  a  bird,  and 
with  metal  plates  on  his  breast. 

This  funny  costume  seemed  to  make  the  old  man  himself 
feel  uncomfortable,  and,  walking  faster  than  his  wont,  he 
hurried  out  of  the  door  opposite  the  entrance. 

1  That  is  Bay,  a  most  estimable  man,"  Fanarin  said  to 
Nekhludoff,  and  then  having  introduced  him  to  his  col- 
league, he  explained  the  case  that  was  about  to  be  heard, 
which  he  considered  very  interesting. 

The  hearing  of  the  case  soon  commenced,  and  Nekh- 
ludoff, with  the  public,  entered  the  left  side  of  the  Senate 
Chamber.  They  all,  including  Fanarin,  took  their  places 
behind  a  grating.  Only  the  Petersburg  advocate  went  up 
to  a  desk  in  front  of  the  grating. 

The  Senate  Chamber  was  not  so  big  as  the  Criminal 
Court;  and  was  more  simply  furnished,  only  the  table  in 
front  of  the  senators  was  covered  with  crimson,  gold- 
trimmed  velvet,  instead  of  green  cloth ;  but  the  attributes  of 
all  places  of  judgment,  i.e.,  the  mirror  of  justice,  the  icon, 
the  emblem  of  hypocrisy,  and  the  Emperor's  portrait,  the 
emblem  of  servility,  were  there. 

The  usher  announced,  in  the  same  solemn  manner :  "  The 
Court  is  coming."  Every  one  rose  in  the  same  way,  and  the 
senators  entered  in  their  uniforms  and  sat  down  on  high- 
backed  chairs  and  leant  on  the  table,  trying  to  appear  nat- 
ural, just  in  the  same  way  as  the  judges  in  the  Court  of  Law. 
There  were  four  senators  present — Nikitin,  who  took  the 
chair,  a  clean-shaved  man  with  a  narrow  face  and  steely 
eyes ;  Wolf,  with  significantly  compressed  lips,  and  little 
white  hands,  with  which  he  kept  turning  over  the  pages  of 
the  business  papers ;  Skovorodnikoff,  a  heavy,  fat,  pock- 
marked man — the  learned  lawyer ;  and  Bay,  the  patriarchal- 
looking  man  who  had  arrived  last. 

With  the  advocates  entered  the  chief  secretary  and  pub- 
lic prosecutor,  a  lean,  clean-shaven  young  man  of  medium 
height,  a  very  dark  complexion,  and  sad,  black  eyes.  Nekh- 
ludoff knew  him  at  once,  in  spite  of  his  curious  uniform  and 
the  fact  that  he  had  not  seen  him  for  six  years.  He  had 
been  one  of  his  best  friends  in  Nekhludoff  s  student  days. 


2 1 6  Resurrection 

"The  public  prosecutor  Selenin?"  Nekhludoff  asked, 
turning  to  the  advocate. 

"Yes.    Why?" 

"  I  know  him  well.    He  is  a  fine  fellow." 

"  And  a  good  public  prosecutor ;  business-like.  Now  he 
is  the  man  you  should  have  interested." 

"  He  will  act  according  to  his  conscience  in  any  case," 
said  Nekhludoff,  recalling  the  intimate  relations  and  friend- 
ship between  himself  and  Selenin,  and  the  attractive  quali- 
ties of  the  latter — purity,  honesty,  and  good  breeding  in  its 
best  sense. 

"  Yes,  there  is  no  time  now,"  whispered  Fanarin,  who 
was  listening  to  the  report  of  the  case  that  had  commenced. 

The  Court  of  Justice  was  accused  of  having  left  a  deci- 
sion of  the  Court  of  Law  unaltered. 

Nekhludoff  listened  and  tried  to  make  out  the  meaning 
of  what  was  going  on ;  but,  just  as  in  the  Criminal  Court, 
his  chief  difficulty  was  that  not  the  evidently  chief  point,  but 
some  side  issues,  were  being  discussed.  The  case  was  that 
of  a  newspaper  which  had  published  the  account  of  a 
swindle  arranged  by  a  director  of  a  limited  liability  com- 
pany. It  seemed  that  the  only  important  question  was 
whether  the  director  of  the  company  really  abused  his  trust, 
and  how  to  stop  him  from  doing  it.  But  the  questions  under 
consideration  were  whether  the  editor  had  a  right  to  pub- 
lish this  article  of  his  contributor,  and  what  he  had  been 
guilty  of  in  publishing  it :  slander  or  libel,  and  in  what  way 
slander  included  libel,  or  libel  included  slander,  and  some- 
thing rather  incomprehensible  to  ordinary  people  about  all 
sorts  of  statutes  and  resolutions  passed  by  some  General 
Department. 

The  only  thing  clear  to  Nekhludoff  was  that,  in  spite  of 
what  Wolf  had  so  strenuously  insisted  on,  the  day  before, 
i.e.,  that  the  Senate  could  not  try  a  case  on  its  merits,  in  this 
case  he  was  evidently  strongly  in  favour  of  repealing  the 
decision  of  the  Court  of  Justice,  and  that  Selenin,  in  spite  of 
his  characteristic  reticence,  stated  the  opposite  opinion  with 
quite  unexpected  warmth.  The  warmth,  which  surprised 
Nekhludoff,  evinced  by  the  usually  self-controlled  Selenin, 
was  due  to  his  knowledge  of  the  director's  shabbiness  in 
money  matters,  and  the  fact,  which  had  accidentally  come  to 
his  ears,  that  Wolf  had  been  to  a  swell  dinner  party  at  the 
swindler's  house  only  a  few  days  before. 


Resurrection  317 

Now  that  Wolf  spoke  on  the  case,  guardedly  enough,  but 
with  evident  bias,  Selenin  became  excited,  and  expressed 
his  opinion  with  too  much  nervous  irritation  for  an  ordinary 
business  transaction.  It  was  clear  that  Selenin's  speech 
had  offended  Wolf.  He  grew  red,  moved  in  his  chair,  made 
silent  gestures  of  surprise,  and  at  last  rose,  with  a  very 
dignified  and  injured  look,  together  with  the  other  senators, 
and  went  out  into  the  debating-room. 

"  What  particular  case  have  you  come  about?  "  the  usher 
asked  again,  addressing  Fanarin. 

"  I  have  already  told  you :  Maslova's  case." 

"  Yes,  quite  so.     It  is  to  be  heard  to-day,  but " 

"  But  what?  "  the  advocate  asked. 

"  Well,  you  see,  this  case  was  to  be  examined  without 
taking  sides,  so  that  the  senators  will  hardly  come  out  again 
after  passing  the  resolution.     But  I  will  inform  them." 

"  What  do  you  mean?  " 

"I'll  inform  them;  I'll  inform  them."  And  the  usher 
again  put  something  down  on  his  paper. 

The  Senators  really  meant  to  pronounce  their  decision 
concerning  the  libel  case,  and  then  to  finish  the  other  busi- 
ness, Maslova's  case  among  it,  over  their  tea  and  cigarettes, 
without  leaving  the  debating-room. 


3»8 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

THE   APPEAL   DISMISSED. 

As  soon  as  the  Senators  were  seated  round  the  table  in 
the  debating-room,  Wolf  began  to  bring  forward  with  great 
animation  all  the  motives  in  favour  of  a  repeal.  The  chair- 
man, an  ill-natured  man  at  best,  was  in  a  particularly  bad 
humour  that  day.  His  thoughts  were  concentrated  on  the 
words  he  had  written  down  in  his  memoranda  on  the  occa- 
sion when  not  he  but  Viglanoff  was  appointed  to  the  impor- 
tant post  he  had  long  coveted.  It  was  the  chairman,  Nikitin's, 
honest  conviction  that  his  opinions  of  the  officials  of  the 
two  upper  classes  with  which  he  was  in  connection  would 
furnish  valuable  material  for  the  historians.  He  had  written 
a  chapter  the  day  before  in  which  the  officials  of  the  upper 
classes  got  it  hot  for  preventing  him,  as  he  expressed  it, 
from  averting  the  ruin  towards  which  the  present  rulers 
of  Russia  were  drving  it,  which  simply  meant  that  they  had 
prevented  his  getting  a  better  salary.  And  now  he  was 
considering  what  a  new  light  to  posterity  this  chapter  would 
shed  on  events. 

"  Yes,  certainly,"  he  said,  in  reply  to  the  words  addressed 
to  him  by  Wolf,  without  listening  to  them. 

Bay  was  listening  to  Wolf  with  a  sad  face  and  drawing 
a  garland  on  the  paper  that  lay  before  him.  Bay  was  a 
Liberal  of  the  very  first  water.  He  held  sacred  the  Liberal 
traditions  of  the  sixth  decade  of  this  century,  and  if  he  ever 
overstepped  the  limits  of  strict  neutrality  it  was  always  in 
the  direction  of  Liberalism.  So  in  this  case ;  beside  the  fact 
that  the  swindling  director,  who  was  prosecuting  for  libel, 
was  a  bad  lot,  the  prosecution  of  a  journalist  for  libel  in 
itself  tending,  as  it  did,  to  restrict  the  freedom  of  the  press, 
inclined  Bay  to  reject  the  appeal. 

When  Wolf  concluded  his  arguments  Bay  stopped  draw- 
ing his  garland  and  began  in  a  sad  and  gentle  voice  (he  was 
sad  because  he  was  obliged  to  demonstrate  such  truisms) 
concisely,  simply  and  convincingly  to  show  how  unfounded 


Resurrection  3  1 9 

the  accusation  was,  and  then,  bending  his  white  head,  he 
continued  drawing  his  garland. 

Skovorodnikoff,  who  sat  opposite  Wolf,  and,  with  his 
fat  fingers,  kept  shoving  his  beard  and  moustaches  into  his 
mouth,  stopped  chewing  his  beard  as  soon  as  Bay  was  silent, 
and  said  with  a  loud,  grating  voice,  that,  notwithstanding 
the  fact  of  the  director  being  a  terrible  scoundrel,  he  would 
have  been  for  the  repeal  of  the  sentence  if  there  were  any 
legal  reasons  for  it ;  but,  as  there  were  none,  he  was  of  Bay's 
opinion.     He  was  glad  to  put  this  spoke  in  Wolf's  wheel. 

The  chairman  agreed  with  Skovorodnikoff,  and  the  appeal 
was  rejected. 

Wolf  was  dissatisfied,  especially  because  it  was  like  being 
caught  acting  with  dishonest  partiality ;  so  he  pretended  to 
be  indifferent,  and,  unfolding  the  document  which  contained 
Maslova's  case,  he  became  engrossed  in  it.  Meanwhile  the 
Senators  rang  and  ordered  tea,  and  began  talking  about  the 
event  that,  together  with  the  duel,  was  occupying  the  Peters- 
burgers.  It  was  the  case  of  the  chief  of  a  Government 
department,  who  was  accused  of  the  crime  provided  for  in 
Statute  995. 

"  What  nastiness,"  said  Bay,  with  disgust. 

"  Why ;  where  is  the  harm  of  it  ?  I  can  show  you  a 
Russian  book  containing  the  project  of  a  German  writer, 
who  openly  proposes  that  it  should  not  be  considered  a 
crime,"  said  Skovorodnikoff,  drawing  in  greedily  the  fumes 
of  the  crumpled  cigarette,  which  he  held  between  his  fingers 
close  to  the  palm,  and  he  laughed  boisterously. 

"  Impossible !  "  said  Bay. 

"  I  shall  show  it  you,"  said  Skovorodnikoff,  giving  the 
full  title  of  the  book,  and  even  its  date  and  the  name  of  its 
editor. 

:( I  hear  he  has  been  appointed  governor  to  some  town  in 
Siberia." 

:  That's  fine.  The  archdeacon  will  meet  him  with  a 
crucifix.  They  ought  to  appoint  an  archdeacon  of  the  same 
sort,"  said  Skovorodnikoff.  "  I  could  recommend  them  one," 
and  he  threw  the  end  of  his  cigarette  into  his  saucer,  and 
again  shoved  as  much  of  his  beard  and  moustaches  as  he 
could  into  his  mouth  and  began  chewing  them. 

The  usher  came  in  and  reported  the  advocate's  and  Nekh- 
ludoff 's  desire  to  be  present  at  the  examination  of  Maslova's 
case. 


320  Resurrection 

'  This  case,"  Wolf  said,  "  is  quite  romantic,"  and  he  told 
them  what  he  knew  about  Nekhludoff's  relations  with  Mas- 
lova.  When  they  had  spoken  a  little  about  it  and  finished 
their  tea  and  cigarettes,  the  Senators  returned  into  the  Senate 
Chamber  and  proclaimed  their  decision  in  the  libel  case, 
and  began  to  hear  Maslova's  case. 

Wolf,  in  his  thin  voice,  reported  Maslova's  appeal  very 
fully,  but  again  not  without  some  bias  and  an  evident  wish 
for  the  repeal  of  the  sentence. 

"  Have  you  anything  to  add?  "  the  chairman  said,  turning 
to  Fanarin.  Fanarin  rose,  and  standing  with  his  broad 
white  chest  expanded,  proved  point  by  point,  with  wonderful 
exactness  and  persuasiveness,  how  the  Court  had  in  six 
points  strayed  from  the  exact  meaning  of  the  law ;  and 
besides  this  he  touched,  though  briefly,  on  the  merits  of 
the  case,  and  on  the  crying  injustice  of  the  sentence.  The 
tone  of  his  speech  was  one  of  apology  to  the  Senators,  who, 
with  their  penetration  and  judicial  wisdom,  could  not  help 
seeing  and  understanding  it  all  better  than  he  could.  He 
was  obliged  to  speak  only  because  the  duty  he  had  under- 
taken forced  him  to  do  so. 

After  Fanarin's  speech  one  might  have  thought  that  there 
could  not  remain  the  least  doubt  that  the  Senate  ought  to 
repeal  the  decision  of  the  Court.  When  he  had  finished  his 
speech,  Fanarin  looked  round  with  a  smile  of  triumph, 
seeing  which  Nekhludoff  felt  certain  that  the  case  was  won. 
But  when  he  looked  at  the  Senators  he  saw  that  Fanarin 
smiled  and  triumphed  all  alone.  The  Senators  and  the  Public 
Prosecutor  did  not  smile  nor  triumph,  but  looked  like  people 
wearied,  and  who  were  thinking  "We  have  often  heard 
the  like  of  you ;  it  is  all  in  vain,"  and  were  only  too  glad 
when  he  stopped  and  ceased  uselessly  detaining  them  there. 
Immediately  after  the  end  of  the  advocate's  speech  the 
chairman  turned  to  the  Public  Prosecutor.  Selenin  briefly 
and  clearly  expressed  himself  in  favour  of  leaving  the  deci- 
sion of  the  Court  unaltered,  as  he  considered  all  the  reasons 
for  appealing  inadequate.  After  this  the  Senators  went  out 
into  the  debating-room.  They  were  divided  in  their  opin- 
ions. Wolf  was  in  favour  of  altering  the  decision.  Bay, 
when  he  had  understood  the  case,  took  up  the  same  side 
with  fervour,  vividly  presenting  the  scene  at  the  court  to 
his  companions  as  he  clearly  saw  it  himself.  Nikitin,  who 
always  was  on  the  side  of  severity  and  formality,  took  up 


Resurrection  321 

the  other  side.  All  depended  on  Skovorodnikoff's  vote,  and 
he  voted  for  rejecting  the  appeal,  because  Nekhludoff's 
determination  to  marry  the  woman  on  moral  grounds  was 
extremely  repugnant  to  him. 

Skovorodnikoff  was  a  materialist,  a  Darwinian,  and 
counted  every  manifestation  of  abstract  morality,  or,  worse 
still,  religion,  not  only  as  a  despicable  folly,  but  as  a  per- 
sonal affront  to  himself.  All  this  bother  about  a  prostitute, 
and  the  presence  of  a  celebrated  advocate  and  Nekhludoff  in 
the  Senate  were  in  the  highest  degree  repugnant  to  him.  So 
he  shoved  his  beard  into  his  mouth  and  made  faces,  and  very 
skilfully  pretended  to  know  nothing  of  this  case,  excepting 
that  the  reasons  for  an  appeal  were  insufficient,  and  that  he, 
therefore,  agreed  with  the  chairman  to  leave  the  decision  of 
the  Court  unaltered. 

So  the  sentence  remained  unrepealed. 


322  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


AN   OLD  FRIEND. 


"  Terrible,"  said  Nekhludoff,  as  he  went  out  into  the 
waiting-room  with  the  advocate,  who  was  arranging  the 
papers  in  his  portfolio.  "  In  a  matter  which  is  perfectly 
clear  they  attach  all  the  importance  to  the  form  and  reject  the 
appeal.    Terrible !  " 

"  The  case  was  spoiled  in  the  Criminal  Court,"  said  the 
advocate. 

"  And  Selenin,  too,  was  in  favour  of  the  rejection.  Terri- 
ble !  terrible !  "  Nekhludoff  repeated.     "  What  is  to  be  done 


now  ? 


'  We  will  appeal  to  His  Majesty,  and  you  can  hand  in  the 
petition  yourself  while  you  are  here.    I  will  write  it  for  you." 

At  this  moment  little  Wolf,  with  his  stars  and  uniform, 
came  out  into  the  waiting-room  and  approached  Nekhludoff. 
"  It  could  not  be  helped,  dear  Prince.  The  reasons  for  an 
appeal  were  not  sufficient,"  he  said,  shrugging  his  narrow 
shoulders  and  closing  his  eyes,  and  then  he  went  his  way. 

After  Wolf,  Selenin  came  out  too,  having  heard  from  the 
Senators  that  his  old  friend  Nekhludoff  was  there. 

'  Well,  I  never  expected  to  see  you  here,"  he  said,  coming 
up  to  Nekhludoff,  and  smiling  only  with  his  lips  while  his 
eyes  remained  sad.  '  I  did  not  know  you  were  in  Peters- 
burg." 

"  And  I  did  not  know  you  were  Public  Prosecutor-in- 
Chief." 

"  How  is  it  vou  are  in  the  Senate?  "  asked  Selenin.     :<  I 

J 

had  heard,  by  the  way,  that  you  were  in  Petersburg.  But 
what  are  you  doing  here  ?  " 

'Here?  I  am  here  because  I  hoped  to  find  justice  and 
save  a  woman  innocently  condemned." 

"  What  woman  ?  " 

'  The  one  whose  case  has  just  been  decided." 

"  Oh !  Maslova's  case,"  said  Selenin,  suddenly  remember- 
ing it.     '  The  appeal  had  no  grounds  whatever." 


Resurrection  323 

"  It  is  not  the  appeal ;  it's  the  woman  who  is  innocent,  and 
is  being  punished." 

Selenin  sighed.    "  That  may  well  be,  but " 

"  Not  may  be,  but  is." 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  " 

"  Because  I  was  on  the  jury.  I  know  how  we  made  the 
mistake." 

Selenin  became  thoughtful.  "  You  should  have  made  a 
statement  at  the  time,"  he  said. 

"  I  did  make  the  statement." 

"  It  should  have  been  put  down  in  an  official  report.  If 
this  had  been  added  to  the  petition  for  the  appeal " 

"  Yes,  but  still,  as  it  is,  the  verdict  is  evidently  absurd." 

"  The  Senate  has  no  right  to  say  so.  If  the  Senate  took 
upon  itself  to  repeal  the  decision  of  the  law  courts  according 
to  its  own  views  as  to  the  justice  of  the  decisions  in  them- 
selves, the  verdict  of  the  jury  would  lose  all  its  meaning,  not 
to  mention  that  the  Senate  would  have  no  basis  to  go  upon, 
and  would  run  the  risk  of  infringing  justice  rather  than  up- 
holding it,"  said  Selenin,  calling  to  mind  the  case  that  had 
just  been  heard. 

"All  I  know  is  that  this  woman  is  quite  innocent,  and 
that  the  last  hope  of  saving  her  from  an  unmerited  punish- 
ment is  gone.  The  grossest  injustice  has  been  confirmed  by 
the  highest  court." 

"  It  has  not  been  confirmed.  The  Senate  did  not  and  can- 
not enter  into  the  merits  of  the  case  in  itself,"  said  Selenin. 
Always  busy  and  rarely  going  out  into  society,  he  had  evi- 
dently heard  nothing  of  Nekhludoff's  romance.  Nekhludoff 
noticed  it,  and  made  up  his  mind  that  it  was  best  to  say  noth- 
ing about  his  special  relations  with  Maslova. 

"  You  are  probably  staying  with  your  aunt,"  Selenin  re- 
marked, apparently  wishing  to  change  the  subject.  :'  She 
told  me  you  were  here  yesterday,  and  she  invited  me  to  meet 
you  in  the  evening,  when  some  foreign  preacher  was  to  lec- 
ture," and  Selenin  again  smiled  only  with  his  lips. 

"  Yes,  I  was  there,  but  left  in  disgust,"  said  Nekhludoff 
angrily,  vexed  that  Selenin  had  changed  the  subject. 

"Why  with  disgust?  After  all,  it  is  a  manifestation  of 
religious  feeling,  though  one-sided  and  sectarian,"  said  Sel- 
enin. 

"  Why,  it's  only  some  kind  of  whimsical  folly." 

"  Oh,  dear,  no.     The  curious  thing  is  that  we  know  the 


324  Resurrection 

teaching  of  our  church  so  little  that  we  see  some  new  kind 
of  revelation  in  what  are,  after  all,  our  own  fundamental 
dogmas,"  said  Selenin,  as  if  hurrying  to  let  his  old  friend 
know  his  new  views. 

Nekhludoff  looked  at  Selenin  scrutinisingly  and  with  sur- 
prise, and  Selenin  dropped  his  eyes,  in  which  appeared  an 
expression  not  only  of  sadness  but  also  of  ill-will. 

"  Do  you,  then,  believe  in  the  dogmas  of  the  church?' 
Nekhludoff  asked. 

"  Of  course  I  do,"  replied  Selenin,  gazing  straight  into 
Nekhludoff's  eyes  with  a  lifeless  look. 

Nekhludoff  sighed.    "  It  is  strange,"  he  said. 

"  However,  we  shall  have  a  talk  some  other  time,"  said 
Selenin.  "  I  am  coming,"  he  added,  in  answer  to  the  usher, 
who  had  respectfully  approached  him.  '  Yes,  we  must  meet 
again,"  he  went  on  with  a  sigh.  "  But  will  it  be  possible  for 
me  to  find  you  ?  You  will  always  find  me  in  at  seven  o'clock. 
My  address  is  Nadejdinskaya,  and  he  gave  the  number. 
"  Ah,  time  does  not  stand  still,"  and  he  turned  to  go,  smiling 
only  with  his  lips. 

"  I  will  come  if  I  can,"  said  Nekhludoff,  feeling  that  a  man 
once  near  and  dear  to  him  had,  by  this  brief  conversation, 
suddenly  become  strange,  distant,  and  incomprehensible,  if 
not  hostile  to  him. 


Resurrection  325 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


THE  PUBLIC  PROSECUTOR. 


When  Nekhludoff  knew  Selenin  as  a  student,  he  was  a 
good  son,  a  true  friend,  and  for  his  years  an  educated  man 
of  the  world,-  with  much  tact ;  elegant,  handsome,  and  at  the 
same  time  truthful  and  honest.  He  learned  well,  without 
much  exertion  and  with  no  pedantry,  receiving  gold  medals 
for  his  essays.  He  considered  the  service  of  mankind,  not 
only  in  words  but  in  acts,  to  be  the  aim  of  his  young  life.  He 
saw  no  other  way  of  being  useful  to  humanity  than  by  serv- 
ing the  State.  Therefore,  as  soon  as  he  had  completed  his 
studies,  he  systematically  examined  all  the  activities  to  which 
he  might  devote  his  life,  and  decided  to  enter  the  Second 
Department  of  the  Chancellerie,  where  the  laws  are  drawn 
up,  and  he  did  so.  But,  in  spite  of  the  most  scrupulous  and 
exact  discharge  of  the  duties  demanded  of  him,  this  service 
gave  no  satisfaction  to  his  desire  of  being  useful,  nor  could 
he  awake  in  himself  the  consciousness  that  he  was  doing  "  the 
right  thing." 

This  dissatisfaction  was  so  much  increased  by  the  friction 
with  his  very  small-minded  and  vain  fellow  officials  that  he 
left  the  Chancellerie  and  entered  the  Senate.  It  was  better 
there,  but  the  same  dissatisfaction  still  pursued  him ;  he  felt 
it  to  be  very  different  from  what  he  had  expected,  and  from 
what  ought  to  be. 

And  now  that  he  was  in  the  Senate  his  relatives  obtained 
for  him  the  post  of  Gentleman  of  the  Bedchamber,  and  he 
had  to  go  in  a  carriage,  dressed  in  an  embroidered  uniform 
and  a  white  linen  apron,  to  thank  all  sorts  of  people  for  hav- 
ing placed  him  in  the  position  of  a  lackey.  However  much 
he  tried  he  could  find  no  reasonable  explanation  for  the  exist- 
ence of  this  post,  and  felt,  more  than  in  the  Senate,  that  it 
was  not  "  the  right  thing,"  and  yet  he  could  not  refuse  it  for 
fear  of  hurting  those  who  felt  sure  they  were  giving  him 
much  pleasure  by  this  appointment,  and  because  it  flattered 
the  lowest  part  of  his  nature.  It  pleased  him  to  see  himself 
in  a  mirror  in  his  gold-embroidered  uniform,  and  to  accept 


326  Resurrection 

the  deference  paid  him  by  some  people  because  of  his  posi- 
tion. 

Something  of  the  same  kind  happened  when  he  married. 
A  very  brilliant  match,  from  a  worldly  point  of  view,  was  ar- 
ranged for  him,  and  he  married  chiefly  because  by  refusing 
he  would  have  had  to  hurt  the  young  lady  who  wished  to  be 
married  to  him,  and  those  who  arranged  the  marriage,  and 
also  because  a  marriage  with  a  nice  young  girl  of  noble  birth 
flattered  his  vanity  and  gave  him  pleasure.  But  this  mar- 
riage very  soon  proved  to  be  even  less  "  the  right  thing  " 
than  the  Government  service  and  his  position  at  Court. 

After  the  birth  of  her  first  child  the  wife  decided  to  have 
no  more,  and  began  leading  that  luxurious  worldly  life  in 
which  he  now  had  to  participate  whether  he  liked  or  not. 

She  was  not  particularly  handsome,  and  was  faithful  to 
him,  and  she  seemed,  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  it  cost  her, 
to  derive  nothing  but  weariness  from  the  life  she  led,  yet  she 
perseveringly  continued  to  live  it,  though  it  was  poisoning 
her  husband's  life.  And  all  his  efforts  to  alter  this  life  was 
shattered,  as  against  a  stone  wall,  by  her  conviction,  which 
all  her  friends  and  relatives  supported,  that  all  was  as  it 
should  be. 

The  child,  a  little  girl  with  bare  legs  and  long  golden 
curls,  was  a  being  perfectly  foreign  to  him,  chiefly  because 
she  was  trained  quite  otherwise  than  he  wished  her  to  be. 
There  sprung  up  between  the  husband  and  wife  the  usual 
misunderstanding,  without  even  the  wish  to  understand 
each  other,  and  then  a  silent  warfare,  hidden  from  outsiders 
and  tempered  by  decorum.  All  this  made  his  life  at  home  a 
burden,  and  became  even  less  "  the  right  thing  "  than  his 
service  and  his  post. 

But  it  was  above  all  his  attitude  towards  religion  which 
was  not  "  the  right  thing."  Like  every  one  of  his  set  and  his 
time,  by  the  growth  of  his  reason  he  broke  without  the  least 
effort  the  nets  of  the  religious  superstitions  in  which  he  was 
brought  up,  and  did  not  himself  exactly  know  when  it  was 
that  he  freed  himself  of  them.  Being  earnest  and  upright, 
he  did  not,  during  his  youth  and  intimacy  with  Nekhh'idoff 
as  a  student,  conceal  his  rejection  of  the  State  religion.  But 
as  years  went  on  and  he  rose  in  the  service,  and  especially 
at  the  time  of  the  reaction  towards  conservatism  in  society, 
his  spiritual  freedom  stood  in  his  way. 

At  home,  when  his  father  died,  he  had  to  be  present  at 


Resurrection  327 

the  masses  said  for  his  soul,  and  his  mother  wished  him  to 
go  to  confession  or  to  communion,  and  it  was  in  a  way  ex- 
pected, by  public  opinion,  but  above  all,  Government  ser- 
vice demanded  that  he  should  be  present  at  all  sorts  of  ser- 
vices, consecrations,  thanksgivings,  and  the  like.  Hardly  a 
day  passed  without  some  outward  religious  form  having  to 
be  observed. 

When  present  at  these  services  he  had  to  pretend  that  he 
believed  in  something  which  he  did  not  believe  in,  and 
being  truthful  he  could  not  do  this.  The  alternative  was, 
having  made  up  his  mind  that  all  these  outward  signs  were 
deceitful,  to  alter  his  life  in  such  a  way  that  he  would  not 
have  to  be  present  at  such  ceremonials.  But  to  do  what 
seemed  so  simple  would  have  cost  a  great  deal.  Besides 
encountering  the  perpetual  hostility  of  all  those  who  were 
near  to  him,  he  would  have  to  give  up  the  service  and  his 
position,  and  sacrifice  his  hopes  of  being  useful  to  human- 
ity by  his  service,  now  and  in  the  future.  To  make  such  a 
sacrifice  one  would  have  to  be  firmly  convinced  of  being 
right. 

And  he  was  firmly  convinced  he  was  right,  as  no  educated 
man  of  our  time  can  help  being  convinced  who  knows  a 
little  history  and  how  the  religions,  and  especially  Church 
Christianity,  originated. 

But  under  the  stress  of  his  daily  life  he,  a  truthful  man, 
allowed  a  little  falsehood  to  creep  in.  He  said  that  in  order 
to  do  justice  to  an  unreasonable  thing  one  had  to  study  the 
unreasonable  thing.  It  was  a  little  falsehood,  but  it  sunk 
him  into  the  big  falsehood  in  which  he  was  now  caught. 

Before  putting  to  himself  the  question  whether  the  ortho- 
doxy in  which  he  was  born  and  bred,  and  which  every  one 
expected  him  to  accept,  and  without  which  he  could  not 
continue  his  useful  occupation,  contained  the  truth,  he  had 
already  decided  the  answer.  And  to  clear  up  the  question 
he  did  not  read  Voltaire,  Schopenhauer,  Herbert  Spencer, 
or  Comte,  but  the  philosophical  works  of  Hegel  and  the 
religious  works  of  Vinet  and  Khomyakoff,  and  naturally 
found  in  them  what  he  wanted,  i.e.,  something  like  peace  of 
mind  and  a  vindication  of  that  religious  teaching  in  which 
he  was  educated,  which  his  reason  had  long  ceased  to  ac- 
cept, but  without  which  his  whole  life  was  filled  with  un- 
pleasantness which  could  all  be  removed  by  accepting  the 
teaching. 


328  Resurrection 

And  so  he  adopted  all  the  usual  sophistries  which  go  to 
prove  that  a  single  human  reason  cannot  know  the  truth, 
that  the  truth  is  only  revealed  to  an  association  of  men,  and 
can  only  be  known  by  revelation,  that  revelation  is  kept  by 
the  church,  etc.  And  so  he  managed  to  be  present  at 
prayers,  masses  for  the  dead,  to  confess,  make  signs  of  the 
cross  in  front  of  icons,  with  a  quiet  mind,  without  being 
conscious  of  the  lie,  and  to  continue  in  the  service  which 
gave  him  the  feeling  of  being  useful  and  some  comfort  in 
his  joyless  family  life.  Although  he  believed  this,  he  felt 
with  his  entire  being  that  this  religion  of  his,  more  than 
all  else,  was  not  "  the  right  thing,"  and  that  is  why  his  eyes 
always  looked  sad. 

And  seeing  Nekhludoff,  whom  he  had  known  before  all 
these  lies  had  rooted  themselves  within  him,  reminded  him 
of  what  he  then  was.  It  was  especially  after  he  had  hurried 
to  hint  at  his  religious  views  that  he  had  most  strongly  felt 
all  this  "  not  the  right  thing,"  and  had  become  painfully 
sad.  Nekhludoff  felt  it  also  after  the  first  joy  of  meeting 
his  old  friend  had  passed,  and  therefore,  though  they  prom- 
ised each  other  to  meet,  they  did  not  take  any  steps  towards 
an  interview,  and  did  not  again  see  each  other  during  this 
stay  of  Nekhludoff's  in  Petersburg. 


Resurrection  329 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

MARIETTE  TEMPTS  NEKHLUDOFF. 

When  they  left  the  Senate,  Nekhludoff  and  the  advocate 
walked  on  together,  the  advocate  having  given  the  driver 
of  his  carriage  orders  to  follow  them.  The  advocate  told 
Nekhludoff  the  story  of  the  chief  of  a  Government  depart- 
ment, about  whom  the  Senators  had  been  talking :  how  the 
thing  was  found  out,  and  how  the  man,  who  according  to 
law  should  have  been  sent  to  the  mines,  had  been  appointed 
Governor  of  a  town  in  Siberia.  Then  he  related  with  par- 
ticular pleasure  how  several  high-placed  persons  stole  a  lot 
of  money  collected  for  the  erection  of  the  still  unfinished 
monument  which  they  had  passed  that  morning ;  also,  how 
the  mistress  of  So-and-so  got  a  lot  of  money  at  the  Stock 
Exchange,  and  how  So-and-so  agreed  with  So-and-so  to 
sell  him  his  wife.  The  advocate  began  another  story  about 
a  swindle,  and  all  sorts  of  crimes  committed  by  persons  in 
high  places,  who,  instead  of  being  in  prison,  sat  on  presi- 
dential chairs  in  all  sorts  of  Government  institutions.  These 
tales,  of  which  the  advocate  seemed  to  have  an  unending 
supply,  gave  him  much  pleasure,  showing  as  they  did,  with 
perfect  clearness,  that  his  means  of  getting  money  were 
quite  just  and  innocent  compared  to  the  means  which  the 
highest  officials  in  Petersburg  made  use  of.  The  advocate 
was  therefore  surprised  when  Nekhludoff  took  an  isvostchik 
before  hearing  the  end  of  the  story,  said  good-bye,  and  left 
him.  Nekhludoff  felt  very  sad.  It  was  chiefly  the  rejection 
of  the  appeal  by  the  Senate,  confirming  the  senseless  tor- 
ments that  the  innocent  Maslova  was  enduring,  that  sad- 
dened him,  and  also  the  fact  that  this  rejection  made  it  still 
harder  for  him  to  unite  his  fate  with  hers.  The  stories  about 
existing  evils,  which  the  advocate  recounted  with  such 
relish,  heightened  his  sadness,  and  so  did  the  cold,  unkind 
look  that  the  once  sweet-natured,  frank,  noble  Selenin  had 
given  him,  and  which  kept  recurring  to  his  mind. 

On  his  return  the  doorkeeper  handed  him  a  note,  and 
said,  rather  scornfully,  that  some  kind  of  woman  had  writ- 


33°  Resurrection 

ten  it  in  the  hall.  It  was  a  note  from  Shoustova's  mother. 
She  wrote  that  she  had  come  to  thank  her  daughter's  bene- 
factor and  saviour,  and  to  implore  him  to  come  to  see  them 
on  the  Vasilievsky,  5th  Line,  house  No.  — .  This  was  very 
necessary  because  of  Vera  Doukhova.  He  need  not  be 
afraid  that  they  would  weary  him  with  expressions  of  grati- 
tude. They  would  not  speak  their  gratitude,  but  be  simply 
glad  to  see  him.  Would  he  not  come  next  morning,  if  he 
could? 

There  was  another  note  from  Bogotyreff,  a  former  fellow- 
officer,  aide-de-camp  to  the  Emperor,  whom  Nekhludoff  had 
asked  to  hand  personally  to  the  Emperor  his  petition  on 
behalf  of  the  sectarians.  Bogotyreff  wrote,  in  his  large, 
firm  hand,  that  he  would  put  the  petition  into  the  Emperor's 
own  hands,  as  he  had  promised ;  but  that  it  had  occurred  to 
him  that  it  might  be  better  for  Nekhludoff  first  to  go  and 
see  the  person  on  whom  the  matter  depended. 

After  the  impressions  received  during  the  last  few  days, 
Nekhludoff  felt  perfectly  hopeless  of  getting  anything  done. 
The  plans  he  had  formed  in  Moscow  seemed  now  something 
like  the  dreams  of  youth,  which  are  inevitably  followed  by 
disillusion  when  life  comes  to  be  faced.  Still,  being  now  in 
Petersburg,  he  considered  it  his  duty  to  do  all  he  had  in- 
tended, and  he  resolved  next  day,  after  consulting  Bogo- 
tyreff, to  act  on  his  advice  and  see  the  person  on  whom  the 
case  of  the  sectarians  depended. 

He  got  out  the  sectarians'  petition  from  his  portfolio,  and 
began  reading  it  over,  when  there  was  a  knock  at  his  door, 
and  a  footman  came  in  with  a  message  from  the  Countess 
Katerina  Ivanovna,  who  asked  him  to  come  up  and  have 
a  cup  of  tea  with  her. 

Nekhludoff  said  he  would  come  at  once,  and  having  put 
the  papers  back  into  the  portfolio,  he  went  up  to  his  aunt's. 
He  looked  out  of  a  window  on  his  way,  and  saw  Mariette's 
pair  of  bays  standing  in  front  of  the  house,  and  he  suddenly 
brightened  and  felt  inclined  to  smile. 

Mariette,  with  a  hat  on  her  head,  not  in  black  but  with 
a  light  dress  of  many  shades,  sat  with  a  cup  in  her  hand 
beside  the  Countess's  easy  chair,  prattling  about  something 
while  her  beautiful,  laughing  eyes  glistened.  She  had  said 
something  funny — something  indecently  funny — just  as 
Nekhludoff  entered  the  room.  He  knew  it  bv  the  way  she 
laughed,  and  by  the  way  the  good-natured  Countess  Kate- 


Resurrection  331 

rina  Ivanovna's  fat  body  was  shaking  with  laughter:  while 
Mariette,  her  smiling  mouth  slightly  drawn  io  one  side,  her 
head  a  little  bent,  a  peculiarly  mischievous  expression  in 
her  merry,  energetic  face,  sat  silently  looking  at  her  com- 
panion. From  a  few  words  which  he  overheard,  Nekhludoff 
guessed  that  they  were  talking  of  the  second  piece  of  Peters- 
burg news,  the  episode  of  the  Siberian  Governor,  and  that 
it  was  in  reference  to  this  subject  that  Mariette  had  said 
something  so  funny  that  the  Countess  could  not  control 
herself  for  a  long  time. 

"  You  will  kill  me,"  she  said,  coughing. 

After  saying  "How  d'you  do?"  Nekhludoff  sat  down. 
He  was  about  to  censure  Mariette  in  his  mind  for  her 
levity  when,  noticing  the  serious  and  even  slightly  dissatis- 
fied look  in  his  eyes,  she  suddenly,  to  please  him,  changed 
not  only  the  expression  of  her  face,  but  also  the  attitude 
of  her  mind ;  for  she  felt  the  wish  to  please  him  as  soon  as 
she  looked  at  him.  She  suddenly  turned  serious,  dissatisfied 
with  her  life,  as  if  seeking  and  striving  after  something; 
it  was  not  that  she  pretended,  but  she  really  reproduced  in 
herself  the  very  same  state  of  mind  that  he  was  in,  al- 
though it  would  have  been  impossible  for  her  to  express 
in  words  what  was  the  state  of  Nekhludoff  s  mind  at  that 
moment. 

She  asked  him  how  he  had  accomplished  his  tasks.  He 
told  her  about  his  failure  in  the  Senate  and  his  meeting 
Selenin. 

"  Oh,  what  a  pure  soul !  He  is,  indeed,  a  chevalier  sans 
peur  et  sans  reproche.  A  pure  soul !  "  said  both  ladies,  using 
the  epithet  commonly  applied  to  Selenin  in  Petersburg 
society. 

"  What  is  his  wife  like?  "  Nekhludoff  asked. 

"  His  wife?  Well,  I  do  not  wish  to  judge,  but  she  does 
not  understand  him." 

"  Is  it  possible  that  he,  too,  was  for  rejecting  the  appeal?  ,: 
Mariette  asked  with  real  sympathy.  "  It  is  dreadful.  How 
sorry  I  am  for  her,"  she  added  with  a  sigh. 

He  frowned,  and  in  order  to  change  the  subject  began 
to  speak  about  Shoustova,  who  had  been  imprisoned  in 
the  fortress  and  was  now  set  free  through  the  influence 
of  Mariette's  husband.  He  thanked  her  for  her  trouble, 
and  was  going  on  to  say  how  dreadful  he  thought  it,  that 
this  woman  and  the  whole  of  her  family  had  suffered  merely 


332  Resurrection 

because  no  one  had  reminded  the  authorities  about  them, 
but  Mariette  interrupted  him  and  expressed  her  own  indig- 
nation. 

"  Say  nothing  about  it  to  me,"  she  said.     "  When  my 
husband  told  me  she  could  be  set  free,  it  was  this  that  struck 
me,  '  What  was  she  kept  in  prison  for  if  she  is  innocent?  ' 
She  went  on  expressing  what  Nekhludoff  was  about  to  say 
"  It  is  revolting — revolting." 

Countess  Katerina  Ivanovna  noticed  that  Mariette  was 
coquetting  with  her  nephew,  and  this  amused  her.  "  What 
do  you  think  ?  "  she  said,  when  they  were  silent.  "  Suppos- 
ing you  come  to  Aline's  to-morrow  night.  Kiesewetter  will 
be  there.  And  you,  too,"  she  said,  turning  to  Mariette.  "  II 
vous  a  remarque,"  she  went  on  to  her  nephew.  "  He  told 
me  that  what  you  say  (I  repeated  it  all  to  him)  is  a  very 
good  sign,  and  that  you  will  certainly  come  to  Christ.  You 
must  come  absolutely.  Tell  him  to,  Mariette,  and  come 
yourself." 

"  Countess,  in  the  first  place,  I  have  no  right  whatever 
to  give  any  kind  of  advice  to  the  Prince,"  said  Mariette, 
and  gave  Nekhludoff  a  look  that  somehow  established  a  full 
comprehension  between  them  of  their  attitude  in  relation 
to  the  Countess's  words  and  evangelicalism  in  general. 
"  Secondly,  I  do  not  much  care,  you  know." 

'  Yes,  I  know  you  always  do  things  the  wrong  way  round, 
and  according  to  your  own  ideas." 

"  My  own  ideas  ?  I  have  faith  like  the  most  simple  peas- 
ant woman,"  said  Mariette  with  a  smile.  "  And,  thirdly, 
I  am  going  to  the  French  Theatre  to-morrow  night." 

"  Ah  !    And  have  you  seen  that What's  her  name  ?  " 

asked  Countess  Katerina  Ivanovna.  Mariette  gave  the  name 
of  a  celebrated  French  actress. 

'  You  must  go,  most  decidedly ;  she  is  wonderful." 

'  Whom  am  I  to  see  first,  ma  tantc — the  actress  or  the 
preacher?  "  Nekhludoff  said  with  a  smile. 

"  Please  don't  catch  at  my  words." 

'  I  should  think  the  preacher  first  and  then  the  actress, 
or  else  the  desire  for  the  sermon  might  vanish  altogether," 
said  Nekhludoff. 

'  No ;  better  begin  with  the  French  Theatre,  and  do  pen- 
ance afterwards." 

'  Now,  then,  you  are  not  to  hold  me  up  for  ridicule.  The 
preacher   is   the   preacher   and   the   theatre    is   the   theatre. 


Resurrection 


333 


<One  need  not  weep  in  order  to  be  saved.     One  must  have 
faith,  and  then  one  is  sure  to  be  gay." 

'  You,  ma  tantc,  preach  better  than  any  preacher." 

"  Do  you  know  what?  "  said  Mariette.  "  Come  into  my 
box  to-morrow." 

"  I  am  afraid  I  shall  not  be  able  to."  . 

The  footman  interrupted  the  conversation  by  announcing 
a  visitor.  It  was  the  secretary  of  a  philanthropic  society  of 
which  the  Countess  was  president. 

"  Oh,  that  is  the  dullest  of  men.  I  think  I  shall  receive 
him  out  there,  and  return  to  you  later  on.  Mariette,  give 
him  his  tea,"  said  the  Countess,  and  left  the  room,  with  her 
quick,  wriggling  walk. 

Mariette  took  the  glove  off  her  firm,  rather  flat  hand,  the 
fourth  finger  of  which  was  covered  with  rings. 

'  Want  any?"  she  said,  taking  hold  of  the  silver  teapot, 
under  which  a  spirit  lamp  was  burning,  and  extending  her 
little  finger  curiously.     Her  face  looked  sad  and  serious. 

"  It  is  always  terribly  painful  to  me  to  notice  that  people 
whose  opinion  I  value  confound  me  with  the  position  I  am 
placed  in."  She  seemed  ready  to  cry  as  she  said  these  last 
words.  And  though  these  words  had  no  meaning,  or  at  any 
rate  a  very  indefinite  meaning,  they  seemed  to  be  of  excep- 
tional depth,  meaning,  or  goodness  to  Nekhludoff,  so  much 
was  he  attracted  by  the  look  of  the  bright  eyes  which  accom- 
panied the  words  of  this  young,  beautiful,  and  well-dressed 
woman. 

Nekhludoff  looked  at  her  in  silence,  and  could  not  take 
his  eyes  from  her  face. 

'  You  think  I  do  not  understand  you  and  all  that  goes 
on  in  you.  Why,  everybody  knows  what  you  are  doing. 
C'est  le  secret  de  polichinelle.  And  I  am  delighted  with 
your  work,  and  think  highly  of  you." 

"  Really,  there  is  nothing  to  be  delighted  with ;  and  I  have 
done  so  little  as  yet." 

"  No  matter.  I  understand  your  feelings,  and  I  under- 
stand her.  All  right,  all  right.  I  will  say  nothing  more 
about  it,"  she  said,  noticing  displeasure  on  his  face.  '  But  I 
also  understand  that  after  seeing  all  the  suffering  and  the 
horror  in  the  prisons,"  Mariette  went  on,  her  only  desire 
that  of  attracting  him,  and  guessing  with  her  woman's  in- 
stinct what  was  dear  and  important  to  him,  "  you  wish  to 
help  the  sufferers,  those  who  are  made  to  suffer  so  terriblv 


334  Resurrection 

by  other  men,  and  their  cruelty  and  indifference.  I  under- 
stand the  willingness  to  give  one's  life,  and  could  give  mine 
in  such  a  cause,  but  we  each  have  our  own  fate." 

"  Are  you,  then,  dissatisfied  with  your  fate?  " 

"I?"  she  asked,  as  if  struck  with  surprise  that  such  a 
question  could  be  put  to  her.  "  I  have  to  be  satisfied,  and  am 
satisfied.    But  there  is  a  worm  that  wakes  up " 

"  And  he  must  not  be  allowed  to  fall  asleep  again.  It  is  a 
voice  that  must  be  obeyed,"  Nekhludoff  said,  falling  into  the 
trap. 

Many  a  time  later  on  Nekhludoff  remembered  with  shame 
his  talk  with  her.  He  remembered  her  words,  which  were 
not  so  much  lies  as  imitations  of  his  own,  and  her  face,  which 
seemed  looking  at  him  with  sympathetic  attention  when  he 
told  her  about  the  terrors  of  the  prison  and  of  his  impres- 
sions in  the  country. 

When  the  Countess  returned  they  were  talking  not  merely 
like  old,  but  like  exclusive  friends  who  alone  understood  one 
another.  They  were  talking  about  the  injustice  of  power, 
of  the  sufferings  of  the  unfortunate,  the  poverty  of  the  peo- 
ple, yet  in  reality  in  the  midst  of  the  sound  of  their  talk  their 
eyes,  gazing  at  each  other,  kept  asking,  "  Can  you  love  me?  " 
and  answering,  "  I  can,"  and  the  sex-feeling,  taking  the  most 
unexpected  and  brightest  forms,  drew  them  to  each  other. 
As  she  was  going  away  she  told  him  that  she  would  always 
be  willing  to  serve  him  in  any  way  she  could,  and  asked  him 
to  come  and  see  her,  if  only  for  a  moment,  in  the  theatre  next 
day,  as  she  had  a  very  important  thing  to  tell  him  about. 

'  Yes,  and  when  shall  I  see  you  again?  "  she  added,  with 
a  sigh,  carefully  drawing  the  glove  over  her  jewelled  hand. 
"  Say  you  will  come." 

Nekhludoff  promised. 

That  night,  when  Nekhludoff  was  alone  in  his  room,  and 
lay  down  after  putting  out  his  candle,  he  could  not  sleep.  He 
thought  of  Maslova,  of  the  decision  of  the  Senate,  of  his  re- 
solve to  follow  her  in  any  case,  of  his  having  given  up  the 
land.  The  face  of  Mariette  appeared  to  him  as  if  in  answer 
to  those  thoughts — her  look,  her  sigh,  her  words,  "  When 
shall  I  see  you  again  ?  "  and  her  smile  seemed  vivid  as  if  he 
really  saw  her,  and  he  also  smiled.  "  Shall  I  be  doing  right 
in  going  to  Siberia?  And  have  I  done  right  in  divesting  my- 
self of  my  wealth  ?  "  And  the  answers  to  the  questions  on 
this  Petersburg  night,  on  which  the  daylight  streamed  into 


Resurrection  335 

the  window  from  under  the  blind,  were  quite  indefinite.  All 
seemed  mixed  in  his  head.  He  recalled  his  former  state  of 
mind,  and  the  former  sequence  of  his  thoughts,  but  they  had 
no  longer  their  former  power  or  validity. 

"  And  supposing  I  have  invented  all  this,  and  am  unable  to 
live  it  through — supposing  I  repent  of  having  acted  right," 
he  thought;  and  unable  to  answer  he  was  seized  with  such 
anguish  and  despair  as  he  had  long  not  felt.  Unable  to  free 
himself  from  his  perplexity,  he  fell  into  a  heavy  sleep,  such  as 
he  had  slept  after  a  heavy  loss  at  cards. 


336 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

LYDIA  SHOUSTOVA'S  HOME. 

Nekhludoff  awoke  next  morning  feeling  as  if  he  had 
been  guilty  of  some  iniquity  the  day  before.  He  began  con- 
sidering. He  could  not  remember  having  done  anything 
wrong;  he  had  committed  no  evil  act,  but  he  had  had  evil 
thoughts.  He  had  thought  that  all  his  present  resolutions  to 
marry  Katusha  and  to  give  up  his  land  were  unachievable 
dreams ;  that  he  should  be  unable  to  bear  it ;  that  it  was  arti- 
ficial, unnatural ;  and  that  he  would  have  to  go  on  living  as 
he  lived. 

He  had  committed  no  evil  action,  but,  what  was  far  worse 
than  an  evil  action,  he  had  entertained  evil  thoughts  whence 
all  evil  actions  proceed.  An  evil  action  may  not  be  repeated, 
and  can  be  repented  of;  but  evil  thoughts  generate  all  evil 
actions. 

An  evil  action  only  smooths  the  path  for  other  evil  acts; 
evil  thoughts  uncontrollably  drag  one  along  that  path. 

When  Nekhludoff  repeated  in  his  mind  the  thoughts  of  the 
day  before,  he  was  surprised  that  he  could  for  a  moment 
have  believed  these  thoughts.  However  new  and  difficult 
that  which  he  had  decided  to  do  might  be,  he  knew  that  it 
was  the  only  possible  way  of  life  for  him  now,  and  however 
easy  and  natural  it  might  have  been  to  return  to  his  former 
state,  he  knew  that  state  to  be  death. 

Yesterday's  temptation  seemed  like  the  feeling  when  one 
awakes  from  deep  sleep,  and,  without  feeling  sleepy,  wants 
to  lie  comfortably  in  bed  a  little  longer,  yet  knows  that  it  is 
time  to  rise  and  commence  the  glad  and  important  work  that 
awaits  one. 

On  that,  his  last  day  in  Petersburg,  he  went  in  the  morn- 
ing to  the  Vasilievski  Ostrov  to  see  Shoustova.  Shoustova 
lived  on  the  second  floor,  and  having  been  shown  the  back- 
stairs. Nekhludoff  entered  straight  into  the  hot  kitchen, 
which  smelt  strongly  of  food.  An  elderly  woman,  with 
turned-up  sleeves,  with  an  apron  and  spectacles,  stood  by  the 
fire  stirring  something  in  a  steaming  pan. 


Resurrection  337 

'Whom  do  you  want?"  she  asked  severely,  looking  at 
him  over  her  spectacles. 

Before  Nekhludoff  had  time  to  answer,  an  expression  of 
fright  and  joy  appeared  on  her  face. 

"  Oh,  Prince !  "  she  exclaimed,  wiping  her  hands  on  her 
apron.  "  But  why  have  you  come  the  back  way  ?  Our  Ben- 
efactor !  I  am  her  mother.  They  have  nearly  killed  my  little 
girl.  You  have  saved  us,"  she  said,  catching  hold  of  Nekh- 
ludoff's  hand  and  trying  to  kiss  it. 

"  1  went  to  see  you  yesterday.  My  sister  asked  me  to.  She 
is  here.  This  way,  this  way,  please,"  said  Shoustova's 
mother,  as  she  led  the  way  through  a  narrow  door,  and  a 
dark  passage,  arranging  her  hair  and  pulling  at  her  tucked- 
up  skirt.  "  My  sister's  name  is  Kornilova.  You  must  have 
heard  of  her,"  she  added,  stopping  before  a  closed  door. 
"  She  was  mixed  up  in  a  political  affair.  An  extremely  clever 
woman !  " 

Shoustova's  mother  opened  the  door  and  showed  Nekh- 
ludoff into  a  little  room  where  on  a  sofa  with  a  table  before 
it  sat  a  plump,  short  girl  with  fair  hair  that  curled  round  her 
pale,  round  face,  which  was  very  like  her  mother's.  She  had 
a  striped  cotton  blouse  on. 

Opposite  her,  in  an  armchair,  leaning  forward,  so  that  he 
was  nearly  bent  double,  sat  a  young  fellow  with  a  slight, 
black  beard  and  moustaches. 

"  Lydia,  Prince  Nekhludoff !  "  he  said. 

The  pale  girl  jumped  up,  nervously  pushing  back  a  lock 
of  hair  behind  her  ear',  and  gazing  at  the  newcomer  with  a 
frightened  look  in  her  large,  grey  eyes. 

"  So  you  are  that  dangerous  woman  whom  Vera  Douk- 
hova  wished  me  to  intercede  for?"  Nekhludoff  asked,  with 
a  smile. 

'  Yes,  I  am,"  said  Lydia  Shoustova,  her  broad,  kind,  child- 
like smile  disclosing  a  row  of  beautiful  teeth.  "  It  was  aunt 
who  was  so  anxious  to  see  you.  Aunt !  "  she  called  out,  in  a 
pleasant,  tender  voice  through  a  door. 

"  Your  imprisonment  grieved  Vera  Doukhova  very 
much,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

'  Take  a  seat  here,  or  better  here,"  said  Shoustova,  point- 
ing to  the  battered  easy-chair  from  which  the  young  man 
had  just  risen. 

"  My  cousin,  Zakharov,"  she  said,  noticing  that  Nekhlu- 
doff looked  at  the  young  man. 


33« 


Resurrection 


The  young  man  greeted  the  visitor  with  a  smile  as  kindly 
as  Shoustova's,  and  when  Nekhludoff  sat  down  he  brought 
himself  another  chair,  and  sat  by  his  side.  A  fair-haired 
schoolboy  of  about  16  also  came  into  the  room  and  silently 
sat  down  on  the  window-sill. 

"Vera  Doukhova  is  a  great  friend  of  my  aunt's,  but  I 
hardly  know  her,"  said  Shoustova. 

Then  a  woman  with  a  very  pleasant  face,  with  a  white 
blouse  and  leather  belt,  came  in  from  the  next  room. 

"How  do  you  do?  Thanks  for  coming,"  she  began  as 
soon  as  she  had  taken  the  place  next  Shoustova's  on  the 
sofa. 

"Well,  and  how  is  Vera.  You  have  seen  her?  How 
does  she  bear  her  fate?  " 

"  She  does  not  complain,"  said  Nekhludoff.  "  She  says 
she  feels  perfectly  happy." 

"  Ah,  that's  like  Vera.  I  know  her,"  said  the  aunt,  smiling 
and  shaking  her  head.  "  One  must  know  her.  She  has  a 
fine  character.    Everything  for  others ;  nothing  for  herself." 

"  No,  she  asked  nothing  for  herself,  but  only  seemed  con- 
cerned about  your  niece.  What  seemed  to  trouble  her  most 
was,  as  she  said,  that  your  niece  was  imprisoned  for  noth- 
ing." 

' "  Yes,  that's  true,"  said  the  aunt.  "  It  is  a  dreadful  busi- 
ness.   She  suffered,  in  reality,  because  of  me." 

"  Not  at  all,  aunt.  I  should  have  taken  the  papers  with- 
out you  all  the  same/' 

"  Allow  me  to  know  better,"  said  the  aunt.  "  You  see," 
she  went  on  to  Nekhludoff,  "  it  all  happened  because  a  cer- 
tain person  asked  me  to  keep  his  papers  for  a  time;  and  I, 
having  no  house  at  the  time,  brought  them  to  her.  And 
that  very  night  the  police  searched  her  room  and  took  her 
and  the'papers,  and  have  kept  her  up  to  now,  demanding 
that  she  should  say  from  whom  she  had  them." 

"  But  I  never  told  them,"  said  Shoustova  quickly,  pulling 
nervously  at  a  lock  that  was  not  even  out  of  place. 
"  I  never  said  you  did,"  answered  the  aunt. 
"  If  they  took  Mitin  up,  it  was  certainly  not  through  me," 
said  Shoustova,  blushing,  and  looking  round  uneasily. 
"  Don't  speak  about  it,  Lydia  dear,"  said  her  mother. 
"Why  not?    I  should  like  to  relate  it,"  said  Shoustova, 
no  longer  smiling  nor  pulling  her  lock,  but  twisting  it  round 
her  finger  and  getting  redder. 


Resurrection  339 

"  Don't  forget  what  happened  yesterday  when  you  began 
talking  about  it." 

"  Not  at  all Leave  me  alone,  mamma.    I  did  not 

tell,  I  only  kept  quiet.  When  he  examined  me  about  Mitin 
and  about  aunt,  I  said  nothing,  and  told  him  I  would  not 
answer." 

"  Then  this— Petrov " 


"  Petrov  is  a  spy,  a  gendarme,  and  a  blackguard,"  put  in 
the  aunt,  to  explain  her  niece's  words  to  Nekhludoff. 

"  Then  he  began  persuading,"  continued  Shoustova,  ex- 
citedly and  hurriedly.  "  '  Anything  you  tell  me,'  he  said, 
'  can  harm  no  one ;  on  the  contrary,  if  you  tell  me,  we  may 
be  able  to  set  free  innocent  people  whom  we  may  be  use- 
lessly tormenting.'  Well,  I  still  said  I  would  not  tell.  Then 
he  said,  '  All  right,  don't  tell,  but  do  not  deny  what  I  am 
going  to  say.'    And  he  named  Mitin." 

"  Don't  talk  about  it,"  said  the  aunt. 

"  Oh,  aunt,  don't  interrupt,"  and  she  went  on  pulling  the 
lock  of  hair  and  looking  round.  "  And  then,  only  fancy, 
the  next  day  I  hear — they  let  me  know  by  knocking  at  the 
wall — that  Mitin  is  arrested.  Well,  I  think  I  have  betrayed 
him,  and  this  tormented  me  so — it  tormented  me  so  that  I 
nearly  went  mad." 

"  And  it  turned  out  that  it  was  not  at  all  because  of  you 
he  was  taken  up  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  I  didn't  know.  I  think,  '  There,  now,  I  have 
betrayed  him.'  I  walk  and  walk  up  and  down  from  wall  to 
wall,  and  cannot  help  thinking.  I  think,  '  I  have  betrayed 
him.'  I  lie  down  and  cover  myself  up,  and  hear  something 
whispering,  '  Betrayed  !  betrayed  Mitin  !  Mitin  betrayed ! ' 
I  know  it  is  an  hallucination,  but  cannot  help  listening.  I 
wish  to  fall  asleep,  I  cannot.  I  wish  not  to  think,  and  can- 
not cease.  That  is  terrible !  "  and  as  Shoustova  spoke  she 
got  more  and  more  excited,  and  twisted  and  untwisted  the 
lock  of  hair  round  her  finger. 

"  Lydia,  dear,  be  calm,"  the  mother  said,  touching  her 
shoulder. 

But  Shoustova  could  not  stop  herself. 

"  It  is  all  the  more  terrible "  she  began  again,  but 

did  not  finish,  and  jumping  up  with  a  cry  rushed  out  of  the 
room. 

Her  mother  turned  to  follow  her. 


34° 


Resurrection 


"  They  ought  to  be  hanged,  the  rascals !  "  said  the  school- 
boy who  was  sitting  on  the  window-sill. 

"What's  that?"  said  the  mother. 

"  I  only  said Oh,    it's    nothing,"    the    schoolboy 

answered,  and  taking  a  cigarette  that  lay  on  the  table,  he 
began  to  smoke. 


Resurrection  341 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

India's  aunt. 

"  Yes,  that  solitary  confinement  is  terrible  for  the  young," 
said  the  aunt,  shaking  her  head  and  also  lighting  a  cigarette. 

"  I  should  say  for  every  one,"  Nekhludoff  replied. 

"  No,  not' for  all,"  answered  the  aunt.  "  For  the  real  rev- 
olutionists, I  have  been  told,  it  is  rest  and  quiet.  A  man 
who  is  wanted  by  the  police  lives  in  continual  anxiety, 
material  want,  and  fear  for  himself  and  others,  and  for  his 
cause,  and  at  last,  when  he  is  taken  up  and  it  is  all  over,  and 
all  responsibility  is  off  his  shoulders,  he  can  sit  and  rest.  I 
have  been  told  they  actually  feel  joyful  when  taken  up.  But 
the  young  and  innocent  (they  always  first  arrest  the  inno- 
cent, like  Lydia),  for  them  the  first  shock  is  terrible.  It  is 
not  that  they  deprive  you  of  freedom ;  and  the  bad  food  and 
bad  air — all  that  is  nothing.  Three  times  as  many  priva- 
tions would  be  easily  borne  if  it  were  not  for  the  moral 
shock  when  one  is  first  taken." 

"  Have  you  experienced  it?" 
-  "I?  I  was  twice  in  prison,"  she  answered,  with  a  sad, 
gentle  smile.  "  When  I  was  arrested  for  the  first  time  I  had 
done  nothing.  I  was  22,  had  a  child,  and  was  expecting 
another.  Though  the  loss  of  freedom  and  the  parting  with 
my  child  and  husband  were  hard,  they  were  nothing  when 
compared  with  what  I  felt  when  I  found  out  that  I  had 
ceased  being  a  human  creature  and  had  become  a  thing.  I 
wished  to  say  good-bye  to  my  little  daughter.  I  was  told  to 
go  and  get  into  the  trap.  I  asked  where  I  was  being  taken 
to.  The  answer  was  that  I  should  know  when  I  got  there. 
I  asked  what  I  was  accused  of,  but  got  no  reply.  After  I 
had  been  examined,  and  after  they  had  undressed  me  and 
put  numbered  prison  clothes  on  me,  they  led  me  to  a  vault, 
opened  a  door,  pushed  me  in,  and  left  me  alone ;  a  sentinel, 
with  a  loaded  gun,  paced  up  and  down  in  front  of  my  door, 
and  every  now  and  then  looked  in  through  a  crack — I  felt 
terribly  depressed.  What  struck  me  most  at  the  time  was 
that  the  gendarme  officer  who  examined  me  offered  me  a 


342  Resurrection 

cigarette.  So  he  knew  that  people  liked  smoking,  and  must 
know  that  they  liked  freedom  and  light ;  and  that  mothers 
love  their  children,  and  children  their  mothers.  Then  how 
could  they  tear  me  pitilessly  from  all  that  was  dear  to  me, 
and  lock  me  up  in  prison  like  a  wild  animal?  That  sort  of 
thing  could  not  be  borne  without  evil  effects.  Any  one  who 
believes  in  God  and  men,  and  believes  that  men  love  one 
another,  will  cease  to  believe  it  after  all  that.  I  have  ceased 
to  believe  in  humanity  since  then,  and  have  grown  embit- 
tered," she  finished,  with  a  smile. 

Shoustova's  mother  came  in  at  the  door  through  which 
her  daughter  had  gone  out,  and  said  that  Lydia  was  very 
much  upset,  and  would  not  come  in  again. 

"  And  what  has  this  young  life  been  ruined  for?  "  said  the 
aunt.  "  What  is  especially  painful  to  me  is  that  I  am  the 
involuntary  cause  of  it." 

"  She  will  recover  in  the  country,  with  God's  help,"  said 
the  mother.    "  We  shall  send  her  to  her  father." 

"  Yes,  if  it  were  not  for  you  she  would  have  perished  al- 
together," said  the  aunt.  "  Thank  you.  But  what  I  wished 
to  see  you  for  is  this :  I  wished  to  ask  you  to  take  a  letter  to 
Vera  Doukhova,"  and  she  got  the  letter  out  of  her  pocket. 
"  The  letter  is  not  closed ;  you  may  read  and  tear  it  up,  or 
hand  it  to  her,  according  to  how  far  it  coincides  with  your 
principles,"  she  said.    "  It  contains  nothing  compromising." 

NekhludofT  took  the  letter,  and,  having  promised  to  give 
it  to  Vera  Doukhova,  he  took  his  leave  and  went  away.  He 
sealed  the  letter  without  reading  it,  meaning  to  take  it  to  its 
destination. 


Resurrection  343 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  STATE  CHURCH  AND  THE  PEOPLE. 

The  last  thing  that  kept  Nekhludoff  in  Petersburg  was 
the  case  of  the  sectarians,  whose  petition  he  intended  to  get 
his  former  fellow-officer,  Aide-de-camp  Bogatyreff,  to  hand 
to  the  Tsar.  He  came  to  Bogatyreff  in  the  morning,  and 
found  him  about  to  go  out,  though  still  at  breakfast.  Boga- 
tyreff was  not  tall,  but  firmly  built  and  wonderfully  strong 
(he  could  bend  a  horseshoe),  a  kind,  honest,  straight,  and 
even  liberal  man.  In  spite  of  these  qualities,  he  was  intimate 
at  Court,  and  very  fond  of  the  Tsar  and  his  family,  and  by 
some  strange  method  he  managed,  while  living  in  that  high- 
est circle,  to  see  nothing  but  the  good  in  it  and  to  take  no 
part  in  the  evil  and  corruption.  He  never  condemned  any- 
body nor  any  measure,  and  either  kept  silent  or  spoke  in  a 
bold,  loud  voice,  almost  shouting  what  he  had  to  say,  and 
often  laughing  in  the  same  boisterous  manner.  And  he  did 
not  do  it  for  diplomatic  reasons,  but  because  such  was  his 
character. 

"  Ah,  that's  right  that  you  have  come.  Would  you  like 
some  breakfast  ?  Sit  down,  the  beefsteaks  are  fine !  I  always 
begin  with  something  substantial — begin  and  finish,  too. 
Ha !  ha !  ha !  Well,  then,  have  a  glass  of  wine,"  he  shouted, 
pointing  to  a  decanter  of  claret.  "  I  have  been  thinking  of 
you.  I  will  hand  on  the  petition.  I  shall  put  it  into  his  own 
hands.  You  mav  count  on  that,  onlv  it  occurred  to  me  that 
it  would  be  best  for  you  to  call  on  Toporoff ." 

Nekhludoff  made  a  wry  face  at  the  mention  of  Toporoff. 

"  It  all  depends  on  him.  He  will  be  consulted,  anyhow. 
And  perhaps  he  may  himself  meet  your  wishes." 

"  If  you  advise  it  I  shall  go." 

'  That's  right.  Well,  and  how  does  Petersburg  agree  with 
you?  "  shouted  Bogatyreff.    "  Tell  me.    Eh?  " 

'  I  feel  myself  getting  hypnotised,"  replied  Nekhludoff. 

"  Hypnotised !  "  Bogatyreff  repeated,  and  burst  out  laugh- 
ing. "  You  won't  have  anything?  Well,  just  as  you  please," 
and  he  wiped  his  moustaches  with  his  napkin.     '  Then  you'll 


344  Resurrection 

go?  Eh?  If  he  does  not  do  it,  give  the  petition  to  me,  and 
I  shall  hand  it  on  to-morrow."  Shouting  these  words,  he 
rose,  crossed  himself  just  as  naturally  as  he  had  wiped  his 
mouth,  and  began  buckling  on  his  sword. 

"  And  now  good-bye ;  I  must  go.  We  are  both  going  out," 
said  Nekhludoff,  and  shaking  Bogatyreff's  strong,  broad 
hand,  and  with  the  sense  of  pleasure  which  the  impression  of 
something  healthy  and  unconsciously  fresh  always  gave  him, 
Nekhludoff  parted  from  Bogatyreff  on  the  door-steps. 

Though  he  expected  no  good  result  from  his  visit,  still 
Nekhludoff,  following  Bogatyreff's  advice,  went  to  see  To- 
poroff, on  whom  the  sectarians'  fate  depended. 

The  position  occupied  by  Toporoff,  involving  as  it  did  an 
incongruity  of  purpose,  could  only  be  held  by  a  dull  man 
devoid  of  moral  sensibility.  Toporoff  possessed  both  these 
negative  qualities.  The  incongruity  of  the  position  he  oc- 
cupied was  this :  It  was  his  duty  to  keep  up  and  to  defend, 
by  external  measures,  not  excluding  violence,  that  Church 
which,  by  its  own  declaration,  was  established  by  God  Him- 
self and  could  not  be  shaken  by  the  gates  of  hell  nor  by  any- 
thing human.  This  divine  and  immutable  God-established 
institution  had  to  be  sustained  and  defended  by  a  human  in- 
stitution— the  Holy  Synod,  managed  by  Toporoff  and  his 
officials.  Toporoff  did  not  see  this  contradiction,  nor  did 
he  wish  to  see  it,  and  he  was  therefore  much  concerned  lest 
some  Romish  priest,  some  pastor,  or  some  sectarian  should 
destroy  that  Church  which  the  gates  of  hell  could  not  con- 
quer. 

Toporoff,  like  all  those  who  are  quite  destitute  of  the  fun- 
damental religious  feeling  that  recognises  the  equality  and 
brotherhood  of  men,  was  fully  convinced  that  the  common 
people  were  creatures  entirely  different  from  himself,  and 
that  the  people  needed  what  he  could  very  well  do  without, 
for  at  the  bottom  of  his  heart  he  believed  in  nothing,  and 
found  such  a  state  very  convenient  and  pleasant.  Yet  he 
feared  lest  the  people  might  also  come  to  such  a  state,  and 
looked  upon  it  as  his  sacred  duty,  as  he  called  it,  to  save  the 
people  therefrom. 

A  certain  cookery  book  declares  that  some  crabs  like  to  be 
boiled  alive.  In  the  same  way  he  thought  and  spoke  as  if 
the  people  liked  being  kept  in  superstition ;  only  he  meant 
this  in  a  literal  sense,  whereas  the  cookery  book  did  not  mean 
its  words  literally. 


Resurrection  345 

His  feelings  towards  the  religion  he  was  keeping  up  were 
the  same  as  those  of  the  poultry-keeper  towards  the  carrion 
he  fed  his  fowls  on.  Carrion  was  very  disgusting,  but  the 
fowls  liked  it ;  therefore  it  was  right  to  feed  the  fowls  on  car- 
rion. Of  course  all  this  worship  of  the  images  of  the  Iberian, 
Kasan  and  Smolensk  Mothers  of  God  was  a  gross  supersti- 
tion, but  the  people  liked  it  and  believed  in  it,  and  therefore 
the  superstition  must  be  kept  up. 

Thus  thought  Toporoff,  not  considering  that  the  people 
only  liked  superstition  because  there  always  have  been,  and 
still  are,  men  like  himself  who,  being  enlightened,  instead  of 
using  their  light  to  help  others  to  struggle  out  of  their  dark 
ignorance,  use  it  to  plunge  them  still  deeper  into  it. 

When  Nekhludoff  entered  the  reception-room  Toporoff 
was  in  his  study  talking  with  an  abbess,  a  lively  and  aristo- 
cratic lady,  who  was  spreading  the  Greek  orthodox  faith  in 
Western  Russia  among  the  Uniates  (who  acknowledge  the 
Pope  of  Rome),  and  who  have  the  Greek  religion  enforced 
on  them.  An  official  who  was  in  the  reception-room  inquired 
what  Nekhludoff  wanted,  and  when  he  heard  that  Nekhlu- 
doff meant  to  hand  in  a  petition  to  the  Emperor,  he  asked 
him  if  he  would  allow  the  petition  to  be  read  first.  Nekhlu- 
doff gave  it  him,  and  the  official  took  it  into  the  study.  The 
abbess,  with  her  hood  and  flowing  veil  and  her  long  train 
trailing  behind,  left  the  study  and  went  out,  her  white  hands 
(with  their  well-tended  nails)  holding  a  topaz  rosary.  Nekh- 
ludoff was  not  immediately  asked  to  come  in.  Toporoff  was 
reading  the  petition  and  snaking  his  head.  He  was  unpleas- 
antly surprised  by  the  clear  and  emphatic  wording  of  it. 

"  If  it  gets  into  the  hands  of  the  Emperor  it  may  cause 
misunderstandings,  and  unpleasant  questions  may  be  asked," 
he  thought  as  he  read.  Then  he  put  the  petition  on  the  table, 
rang,  and  ordered  Nekhludoff  to  be  asked  in. 

He  remembered  the  case  of  the  sectarians ;  he  had  had  a 
petition  from  them  before.  The  case  was  this :  These  Chris- 
tians, fallen  away  from  the  Greek  Orthodox  Church,  were 
first  exhorted  and  then  tried  by  law,  but  were  acquitted. 
Then  the  Archdeacon  and  the  Governor  arranged,  on  the 
plea  that  their  marriages  were  illegal,  to  exile  these  sec- 
tarians, separating  the  husbands,  wives,  and  children.  These 
fathers  and  wives  were  now  petitioning  that  they  should  not 
be  parted.  Toporoff  recollected  the  first  time  the  case  came 
to  his  notice :  he  had  at  that  time  hesitated  whether  he  had 


346  Resurrection 

not  better  put  a  stop  to  it.  But  then  he  thought  no  harm 
could  result  from  his  confirming  the  decision  to  separate  and 
exile  the  different  members  of  the  sectarian  families,  whereas 
allowing  the  peasant  sect  to  remain  where  it  was  might  have 
a  bad  effect  on  the  rest  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  place  and 
cause  them  to  fall  away  from  Orthodoxy.  And  then  the 
affair  also  proved  the  zeal  of  the  Archdeacon,  and  so  he  let 
the  case  proceed  along  the  lines  it  had  taken.  But  now  that 
they  had  a  defender  such  as  Nekhludoff,  who  had  some  in- 
fluence in  Petersburg,  the  case  might  be  specially  pointed  out 
to  the  Emperor  as  something  cruel,  or  it  might  get  into  the 
foreign  papers.  Therefore  he  at  once  took  an  unexpected 
decision. 

"  How  do  you  do?  "  he  said,  with  the  air  of  a  very  busy 
man,  receiving  Nekhludoff  standing,  and  at  once  starting  on 
the  business.  "  I  know  this  case.  As  soon  as  I  saw  the 
names  I  recollected  this  unfortunate  business,"  he  said,  tak- 
ing up  the  petition  and  showing  it  to  Nekhludoff.  "  And  I 
am  much  indebted  to  you  for  reminding  me  of  it.  It  is  the 
over-zealousness  of  the  provincial  authorities." 

Nekhludoff  stood  silent,  looking  with  no  kindly  feelings 
at  the  immovable,  pale  mask  of  a  face  before  him. 

"  And  I  shall  give  orders  that  these  measures  should  be 
revoked  and  the  people  reinstated  in  their  homes." 

"  So  that  I  need  not  make  use  of  this  petition  ?  " 

"  /  promise  you  most  assuredly,"  answered  Toporoff, 
laying  a  stress  on  the  word  I,  as  if  quite  convinced  that  his 
honesty,  his  word  was  the  best  guarantee.  "  It  will  be  best 
if  I  write  at  once.    Take  a  seat,  please." 

He  went  up  to  the  table  and  began  to  write.  As  Nekh- 
ludoff sat  down  he  looked  at  the  narrow,  bald  skull,  at  the 
fat,  blue-veined  hand  that  was  swiftly  guiding  the  pen,  and 
wondered  why  this  evidently  indifferent  man  was  doing 
what  he  did  and  why  he  was  doing  it  with  such  care. 

"  Well,  here  you  are,"  said  Toporoff,  sealing  the  en- 
velope ;  "  you  may  let  your  clients  know,"  and  he  stretched 
his  lips  to  imitate  a  smile. 

"Then  what  did  these  people  suffer  for?"  Nekhludoff 
asked,  as  he  took  the  envelope. 

Toporoff  raised  his  head  and  smiled,  as  if  Nekhludoff  s 
question  gave  him  pleasure.  "  That  I  cannot  tell.  All  I 
can  say  is  that  the  interests  of  the  people  guarded  by  us  are 
so  important  that  too  great  a  zeal  in  matters  of  religion  is 


Resurrection  347 

not  so  dangerous  or  so  harmful  as  the  indifference  which  is 
now  spreading " 

"  But  how  is  it  that  in  the  name  of  religion  the  very  first 
demands  of  righteousness  are  violated — families  are  sep- 
arated?" 

Toporoff  continued  to  smile  patronisingly,  evidently 
thinking  what  Nekhludoff  said  very  pretty.  Anything  that 
Nekhludoff  could  say  he  would  have  considered  very  pretty 
and  very  one-sided,  from  the  height  of  what  he  considered 
his  far-reaching  office  in  the  State. 

;'  It  may  seem  so  from  the  point  of  view  of  a  private  in- 
dividual," he  said,  "  but  from  an  administrative  point  of 
view  it  appears  in  a  rather  different  light.  However,  I  must 
bid  you  good-bye,  now,"  said  Toporoff,  bowing  his  head  and 
holding  out  his  hand,  which  Nekhludoff  pressed. 

"  The  interests  of  the  people !  Your  interests  is  what  you 
mean !  "  thought  Nekhludoff  as  he  went  out.  And  he  ran 
over  in  his  mind  the  people  in  whom  is  manifested  the  activ- 
ity of  the  institutions  that  uphold  religion  and  educate  the 
people.  He  began  with  the  woman  punished  for  the  illicit 
sale  of  spirits,  the  boy  for  theft,  the  tramp  for  tramping,  the 
incendiary  for  setting  a  house  on  fire,  the  banker  for  fraud, 
and  that  unfortunate  Lydia  Shoustova  imprisoned  only  be- 
cause they  hoped  to  get  such  information  as  they  required 
from  her.  Then  he  thought  of  the  sectarians  punished  for 
violating  Orthodoxy,  and  Gourkevitch  for  wanting  con- 
stitutional government,  and  Nekhludoff  clearly  saw  that  all 
these  people  were  arrested,  locked  up,  exiled,  not  really  be- 
cause they  transgressed  against  justice  or  behaved  unlaw- 
fully, but  only  because  they  were  an  obstacle  hindering  the 
officials  and  the  rich  from  enjoying  the  property  they  had 
taken  away  from  the  people.  And  the  woman  who  sold 
wine  without  having  a  license,  and  the  thief  knocking  about 
the  town,  and  Lydia  Shoustova  hiding  proclamations,  and 
the  sectarians  upsetting  superstitions,  and  Gourkevitch  de- 
siring a  constitution,  were  a  real  hindrance.  It  seemed  per- 
fectly clear  to  Nekhludoff  that  all  these  officials,  beginning 
with  his  aunt's  husband,  the  Senators,  and  Toporoff,  down 
to  those  clean  and  correct  gentlemen  who  sat  at  the  tables 
in  the  Ministry  Office,  were  not  at  all  troubled  by  the  fact 
that  in  such  a  state  of  things  the  innocent  had  to  suffer,  but 
were  only  concerned  how  to  get  rid  of  the  really  dangerous, 
so  that  the  rule  that  ten  guilty  should  escape  rather  than 


348  Resurrection 

that  one  innocent  should  be  condemned  was  not  observed, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  for  the  sake  of  getting  rid  of  one  really 
dangerous  person,  ten  who  seemed  dangerous  were  pun- 
ished, as,  when  cutting  a  rotten  piece  out  of  anything,  one 
has  to  cut  away  some  that  is  good. 

This  explanation  seemed  very  simple  and  clear  to  Nekh- 
ludoff ;  but  its  very  simplicity  and  clearness  made  him  hesi- 
tate to  accept  it.  Was  it  possible  that  so  complicated  a 
phenomenon  could  have  so  simple  and  terrible  an  explana- 
tion ?  Was  it  possible  that  all  these  words  about  justice,  law, 
religion,  and  God,  and  so  on,  were  mere  words,  hiding  the 
coarsest  cupidity  and  cruelty? 


Resurrection  349 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE  MEANING  OF  MARIETTE's  ATTRACTION. 

Nekhludoff  would  have  left  Petersburg  on  the  evening 
of  the  same  clay,  but  he  had  promised  Mariette  to  meet  her 
at  the  theatre,  and  though  he  knew  that  he  ought  not  to 
keep  that  promise,  he  deceived  himself  into  the  belief  that 
it  would  not  be  right  to  break  his  word. 

"  Am  I  capable  of  withstanding  these  temptations  ?  "  he 
asked  himself,  not  quite  honestlv.  "  I  shall  try  for  the  last 
time." 

He  dressed  in  his  evening  clothes,  and  arrived  at  the 
theatre  during  the  second  act  of  the  eternal  Dame  aux 
Camclias,  in  which  a  foreign  actress  once  again,  and  in  a 
novel  manner,  showed  how  women  die  of  consumption. 

The  theatre  was  quite  full.  Mariette's  box  was  at  once, 
and  with  great  deference,  shown  to  Nekhludoff  at  his  re- 
quest. A  liveried  servant  stood  in  the  corridor  outside ;  he 
bowed  to  Nekhludoff  as  to  one  whom  he  knew,  and  opened 
the  door  of  the  box. 

All  the  people  who  sat  and  stood  in  the  boxes  on  the  op- 
posite side,  those  who  sat  near  and  those  who  were  in  the 
parterre,  with  their  grey,  grizzly,  bald,  or  curly  heads — all 
were  absorbed  in  watching  the  thin,  bony  actress  who, 
dressed  in  silks  and  laces,  was  wriggling  before  them,  and 
speaking  in  an  unnatural  voice. 

Some  one  called  "  Hush !  "  when  the  door  opened,  and 
two  streams,  one  of  cool,  the  other  of  hot,  air  touched  Nekh- 
ludoff s  face. 

Mariette  and  a  lady  whom  he  did  not  know,  with  a  red 
cape  and  a  big,  heavy  head-dress,  were  in  the  box,  and  two 
men  also,  Mariette's  husband,  the  General,  a  tall,  handsome 
man  with  a  severe,  inscrutable  countenance,  a  Roman  nose, 
and  a  uniform  padded  round  the  chest,  and  a  fair  man,  with 
a  bit  of  shaved  chin  between  pompous  whiskers. 

Mariette,  graceful,  slight,  elegant,  her  low-necked  dress 
showing  her  firm,  shapely,  slanting  shoulders,  with  a  little 


35°  Resurrection 

black  mole  where  they  joined  her  neck,  immediately  turned, 
and  pointed  with  her  face  to  a  chair  behind  her  in  an  engag- 
ing manner,  and  smiled  a  smile  that  seemed  full  of  meaning 
to  Nekhludoff. 

The  husband  looked  at  him  in  the  quiet  way  in  which  he 
did  everything,  and  bowed.  In  the  look  he  exchanged  with 
his  wife,  the  master,  the  owner  of  a  beautiful  woman,  was 
to  be  seen  at  once. 

When  the  monologue  was  over  the  theatre  resounded 
with  the  clapping  of  hands.  Mariette  rose,  and  holding  up 
her  rustling  silk  skirt,  went  into  the  back  of  the  box  and  in- 
troduced Nekhludoff  to  her  husband. 

The  General,  without  ceasing  to  smile  with  his  eyes,  said 
he  was  very  pleased,  and  then  sat  inscrutably  silent. 

"  I  ought  to  have  left  to-day,  had  I  not  promised,"  said 
Nekhludoff  to  Mariette. 

"  If  you  do  not  care  to  see  me,"  said  Mariette,  in  answer 
to  what  his  words  implied,  "  you  will  see  a  wonderful  ac- 
tress. Was  she  not  splendid  in  the  last  scene  ?  "  she  asked, 
turning  to  her  husband. 

The  husband  bowed  his  head. 

'  This  sort  of  thing  does  not  touch  me,"  said  Nekhludoff. 
"  I  have  seen  so  much  real  suffering  lately  that " 

"  Yes,  sit  down  and  tell  me." 

The  husband  listened,  his  eyes  smiling  more  and  more 
ironically.  "  I  have  been  to  see  that  woman  whom  they 
have  set  free,  and  who  has  been  kept  in  prison  for  so  long ; 
she  is  quite  broken  down." 

'  That  is  the  woman  I  spoke  to  you  about,"  Mariette 
said  to  her  husband. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  was  very  pleased  that  she  could  be  set  free," 
said  the  husband  quietly,  nodding  and  smiling  under  his 
moustache  with  evident  irony,  so  it  seemed  to  Nekhludoff. 
"  I  shall  go  and  have  a  smoke." 

Nekhludoff  sat  waiting  to  hear  what  the  something  was 
that  Mariette  had  to  tell  him.  She  said  nothing,  and  did 
not  even  try  to  say  anything,  but  joked  and  spoke  about 
the  performance,  which  she  thought  ought  to  touch  Nekhlu- 
doff. Nekhludoff  saw  -that  she  had  nothing  to  tell,  but 
only  wished  to  show  herself  to  him  in  all  the  splendour  of 
her  evening  toilet,  with  her  shoulders  and  little  mole ;  and 
this  was  pleasant  and  yet  repulsive  to  him. 

The  charm  that  had  veiled  all  this  sort  of  thing  from 


Resurrection 


35* 


Nekhludoff  was  not  removed,  but  it  was  as  if  he  could  see 
what  lay  beneath.  Looking  at  Mariette,  he  admired  her, 
and  yet  he  knew  that  she  was  a  liar,  living  with  a  husband 
who  was  making  his  career  by  means  of  the  tears  and  lives 
of  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  people,  and  that  she  was  quite 
indifferent  about  it,  and  that  all  she  had  said  the  day  before 
was  untrue.  What  she  wanted — neither  he  nor  she  knew 
why — was  to  make  him  fall  in  love  with  her.  This  both 
attracted  and  disgusted  him.  Several  times,  on  the  point  of 
going  away,  he  took  up  his  hat,  and  then  stayed  on. 

But  at  last,  when  the  husband  returned  with  a  strong 
smell  of  tobacco  in  his  thick  moustache,  and  looked  at  Nekh- 
ludoff with  a  patronising,  contemptuous  air,  as  if  not  recog- 
nising him,  Nekhludoff  left  the  box  before  the  door  was 
closed  again,  found  his  overcoat,  and  went  out  of  the  theatre. 
As  he  was  walking  home  along  the  Nevski,  he  could  not 
help  noticing  a  well-shaped  and  aggressively  finely-dressed 
woman,  who  was  quietly  walking  in  front  of  him  along  the 
broad  asphalt  pavement.  The  consciousness  of  her  detest- 
able power  was  noticeable  in  her  face  and  the  whole  of  her 
figure.  All  who  met  or  passed  that  woman  looked  at  her. 
Nekhludoff  walked  faster  than  she  did  and,  involuntarily, 
also  looked  her  in  the  face.  The  face,  which  was  probably 
painted,  was  handsome,  and  the  woman  looked  at  him  with 
a  smile  and  her  eyes  sparkled.  And,  curiously  enough, 
Nekhludoff  was  suddenly  reminded  of  Mariette,  because  he 
again  felt  both  attracted  and  disgusted  just  as  when  in  the 
theatre. 

Having  hurriedly  passed  her,  Nekhludoff  turned  off  on 
to  the  Morskaya,  and  passed  on  to  the  embankment,  where, 
to  the  surprise  of  a  policeman,,  he  began  pacing  up  and  down 
the  pavement. 

'  The  other  one  gave  me  just  such  a  smile  when  I  entered 
the  theatre,"  he  thought,  "  and  the  meaning  of  the  smile 
was  the  same.  The  only  difference  is,  that  this  one  said 
plainly,  '  If  you  want  me,  take  me;  if  not,  go  your  way,'  and 
the  other  one  pretended  that  she  was  not  thinking  of  this, 
but  living  in  some  high  and  refined  state,  while  this  was 
really  at  the  root.  Besides,  this  one  was  driven  to  it  by 
necessity,  while  the  other  amused  herself  by  playing  with 
that  enchanting,  disgusting,  frightful  passion.  This  woman 
of  the  street  was  like  stagnant,  smelling  water  offered  to 
those  whose  thirst  was  greater  than  their  disgust ;  that  other 


352  Resurrection 

one  in  the  theatre  was  like  the  poison  which,  unnoticed, 
poisons  everything  it  gets  into." 

Nekhludoff  recalled  his  liaison  with  the  Marechal's  wife, 
and  shameful  memories  rose  before  him. 

"  The  animalism  of  the  brute  nature  in  man  is  disgusting," 
thought  he,  "  but  as  long  as  it  remains  in  its  naked  form 
we  observe  it  from  the  height  of  our  spiritual  life  and 
despise  it ;  and — whether  one  has  fallen  or  resisted — one 
remains  what  one  was  before.  But  when  that  same  animal- 
ism hides  under  a  cloak  of  poetry  and  aesthetic  feeling  and 
demands  our  worship — then  we  are  swallowed  up  by  it  com- 
pletely, and  worship  animalism,  no  longer  distinguishing 
good  from  evil.     Then  it  is  awful." 

Nekhludoff  perceived  all  this  now  as  clearly  as  he  saw 
the  palace,  the  sentinels,  the  fortress,  the  river,  the  boats, 
and  the  Stock  Exchange.  And  just  as  on  this  northern 
summer  night  there  was  no  restful  darkness  on  the  earth, 
but  only  a  dismal,  dull  light  coming  from  an  invisible  source, 
so  in  Nekhludoff's  soul  there  was  no  longer  the  restful 
darkness,  ignorance.  Everything  seemed  clear.  It  was  clear 
that  everything  considered  important  and  good  was  insig- 
nificant and  repulsive,  and  that  all  the  glamour  and  luxury 
hid  the  old,  well-known  crimes,  which  not  only  remained 
unpunished  but  were  adorned  with  all  the  splendour  which 
men  were  capable  of  inventing. 

Nekhludoff  wished  to  forget  all  this,  not  to  see  it,  but 
he  could  no  longer  help  seeing  it.  Though  he  could  not 
see  the  source  of  the  light  which  revealed  it  to  him  any  more 
than  he  could  see  the  source  of  the  light  which  lay  over 
Petersburg;  and  though  the  light  appeared  to  him  dull, 
dismal,  and  unnatural,  yet  he  could  not  help  seeing  what 
it  revealed,  and  he  felt  both  joyful  and  anxious. 


Resurrection  353 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

"  FOR    HER    SAKE   AND    FOR    GOD'S." 

On  his  return  to  Moscow  Nekhludoff  went  at  once  to 
the  prison  hospital  to  bring  Maslova  the  sad  news  that  the 
Senate  had  confirmed  the  decision  of  the  Court,  and  that 
she  must  prepare  to  go  to  Siberia.  He  had  little  hope  of 
the  success  of  his  petition  to  the  Emperor,  which  the  advo- 
cate had  written  for  him,  and  which  he  now  brought  with 
him  for  Maslova  to  sign.  And,  strange  to  say,  he  did  not 
at  present  even  wish  to  succeed ;  he  had  got  used  to  the 
thought  of  going  to  Siberia  and  living  among  the  exiled 
and  the  convicts,  and  he  could  not  easily  picture  to  himself 
how  his  life  and  Maslova's  would  shape  if  she  were  ac- 
quitted. He  remembered  the  thought  of  the  American 
writer,  Thoreau,  who  at  the  time  when  slavery  existed  in 
America  said  that  "  under  a  government  that  imprisons 
any  unjustly  the  true  place  for  a  just  man  is  also  a  prison." 
Nekhludoff,  especially  after  his  visit  to  Petersburg  and  all 
he  discovered  there,  thought  in  the  same  way. 

"  Yes,  the  only  place  befitting  an  honest  man  in  Russia 
at  the  present  time  is  a  prison,"  he  thought,  and  even  felt 
that  this  applied  to  him  personally,  when  he  drove  up  to  the 
prison  and  entered  its  walls. 

The  doorkeeper  recognised  Nekhludoff,  and  told  him  at 
once  that  Maslova  was  no  longer  there. 

"Where  is  she,  then?" 

"  In  the  cell  again." 

"Why  has  she  been  removed?"  Nekhludoff  asked. 

"Oh,  your  excellency,  what  are  such  people?"  said  the 
doorkeeper,  contemptuously.  "  She's  been  carrying  on  with 
the  medical  assistant,  so  the  head  doctor  ordered  her  back." 

Nekhludoff  had  had  no  idea  how  near  Maslova  and  the 
state  of  her  mind  were  to  him.    He  was  stunned  by  the  news. 

He  felt  as  one  feels  at  the  news  of  a  great  and  unforeseen 
misfortune,  and  his  pain  was  very  severe.  His  first  feeling 
was  one  of  shame.  He,  with  his  joyful  idea  of  the  change 
that  he  imagined  was  going  on  in  her  soul,  now  seemed 


354  Resurrection 

ridiculous  in  his  own  eyes.  He  thought  that  all  her  pretence 
of  not  wishing  to  accept  his  sacrifice,  all  the  reproaches  and 
tears,  were  only  the  devices  of  a  depraved  woman,  who 
wished  to  use  him  to  the  best  advantage.  He  seemed  to 
remember  having  seen  signs  of  obduracy  at  his  last  interview 
with  her.  All  this  flashed  through  his  mind  as  he  instinc- 
tively put  on  his  hat  and  left  the  hospital. 

"  What  am  I  to  do  now?  Am  I  still  bound  to  her?  Has 
this  action  of  hers  not  set  me  free?  "  And  as  he  put  these 
questions  to  himself  he  knew  at  once  that  if  he  considered 
himself  free,  and  threw  her  up,  he  would  be  punishing  him- 
self, and  not  her,  which  was  what  he  wished  to  do,  and  he 
was  seized  with  fear. 

"  No,  what  has  happened  cannot  alter — it  can  only 
strengthen  my  resolve.  Let  her  do  what  flows  from  the  state 
her  mind  is  in.  If  it  is  carrying  on  with  the  medical  assist- 
ant, let  her  carry  on  with  the  medical  assistant ;  that  is  her 
business.  I  must  do  what  my  conscience  demands  of  me. 
And  my  conscience  expects  me  to  sacrifice  my  freedom. 
My  resolution  to  marry  her,  if  only  in  form,  and  to  follow 
wherever  she  may  be  sent,  remains  unalterable."  Nekhludoff 
said  all  this  to  himself  with  vicious  obstinacy  as  he  left  the 
hospital  and  walked  with  resolute  steps  towards  the  big 
gates  of  the  prison.  He  asked  the  warder  on  duty  at  the 
gate  to  inform  the  inspector  that  he  wished  to  see  Maslova. 
The  warder  knew  Nekhludoff,  and  told  him  of  an  important 
change  that  had  taken  place  in  the  prison.  The  old  inspector 
had  been  discharged,  and  a  new,  very  severe  official  ap- 
pointed in  his  place. 

'  They  are  so  strict  nowadays,  it's  just  awful,"  said  the 
jailer.    ''  He  is  in  here ;  they  will  let  him  know  directly." 

The  new  inspector  was  in  the  prison  and  soon  came  to 
Nekhludoff.  He  was  a  tall,  angular  man,  with  high  cheek 
bones,  morose,  and  very  slow  in  his  movements. 

'  Interviews  are  allowed  in  the  visiting  room  on  the  ap- 
pointed days,"  he  said,  without  looking  at  Nekhludoff. 

"  But  I  have  a  petition  to  the  Emperor,  which  I  want 
signed." 

"  You  can  give  it  to  me." 

'  I  must  see  the  prisoner  mvself.  I  was  alwavs  allowed  to 
before." 

"  That  was  so,  before,"  said  the  inspector,  with  a  furtive 
glance  at  Nekhludoff. 


Resurrection  355 

"  I  have  a  permission  from  the  governor,"  insisted  Nekh- 
ludoff, and  took  out  his  pocket-book. 

"  Allow  me,"  said  the  inspector,  taking  the  paper  from 
Nekhludoff  with  his  long,  dry,  white  fingers,  on  the  first  of 
which  was  a  gold  ring,  still  without  looking  him  in  the 
eyes.  He  read  the  paper  slowly.  "  Step  into  the  office, 
please." 

This  time  the  office  was  empty.  The  inspector  sat  down 
by  the  table  and  began  sorting  some  papers  that  lay  on  it,  evi- 
dently intending  to  be  present  at  the  interview. 

When  Nekhludoff  asked  whether  he  might  see  the  political 
prisoner,  Doukhova,  the  inspector  answered,  shortly,  that  he 
could  not.  "  Interviews  with  political  prisoners  are  not  per- 
mitted," he  said,  and  again  fixed  his  attention  on  his  papers. 
With  a  letter  to  Doukhova  in  his  pocket,  Nekhludoff  felt  as 
if  he  had  committed  some  offence,  and  his  plans  had  been 
discovered  and  frustrated. 

When  Maslova  entered  the  room  the  inspector  raised  his 
head,  and,  without  looking  at  either  her  or  Nekhludoff,  re- 
marked :  "  You  may  talk,"  and  went  on  sorting  his  papers. 
Maslova  had  again  the  white  jacket,  petticoat  and  kerchief 
on.  When  she  came  up  to  Nekhludoff  and  saw  his  cold,  hard 
look,  she  blushed  scarlet,  and  crumpling  the  hem  of  her 
jacket  with  her  hand,  she  cast  down  her  eyes.  Her  con- 
fusion, so  it  seemed  to  Nekhludoff,  confirmed  the  hospital 
doorkeeper's  words. 

Nekhludoff  had  meant  to  treat  her  in  the  same  way  as  be- 
fore, but  could  not  bring  himself  to  shake  hands  with  her,  so 
disgusting  was  she  to  him  now. 

"  I  have  brought  you  bad  news,"  he  said,  in  a  monotonous 
voice,  without  looking  at  her  or  taking  her  hand.  "  The 
Senate  has  refused." 

"  I  knew  it  would,"  she  said,  in  a  strange  tone,  as  if  she 
were  gasping  for  breath. 

Formerly  Nekhludoff  would  have  asked  why  she  said  she 
knew  it  would ;  now  he  only  looked  at  her.  Her  eyes  were 
full  of  tears.  But  this  did  not  soften  him ;  it  roused  his  ir- 
ritation against  her  even  more. 

The  inspector  rose  and  began  pacing  up  and  down  the 
room. 

In  spite  of  the  disgust  Nekhludoff  was  feeling  at  the  mo- 
ment, he  considered  it  right  to  express  his  regret  at  the  Sen- 
ate's decision. 


356  Resurrection 

"  You  must  not  despair,"  he  said.  "  The  petition  to  the 
Emperor  may  meet  with  success,  and  I  hope " 

"  I'm  not  thinking  of  that,"  she  said,  looking  piteously  at 
him  with  her  wet,  squinting  eyes. 

"What  is  it,  then?" 

"  You  have  been  to  the  hospital,  and  they  have  most  likely 
told  you  about  me " 

"  What  of  that  ?  That  is  your  affair,"  said  Nekhludoff 
coldly,  and  frowned.  The  cruel  feeling  of  wounded  pride 
that  had  quieted  down  rose  with  renewed  force  when  she 
mentioned  the  hospital. 

"  He,  a  man  of  the  world,  whom  any  girl  of  the  best  fam- 
ilies would  think  it  happiness  to  marry,  offered  himself  as  a 
husband  to  this  woman,  and  she  could  not  even  wait,  but  be- 
gan intriguing  with  the  medical  assistant,"  thought  he,  with 
a  look  of  hatred. 

"  Here,  sign  this  petition,"  he  said,  taking  a  large  envelope 
from  his  pocket,  and  laying  the  paper  on  the  table.  She 
wiped  the  tears  with  a  corner  of  her  kerchief,  and  asked 
what  to  write  and  where. 

He  showed  her,  and  she  sat  down  and  arranged  the  cuff  of 
her  right  sleeve  with  her  left  hand ;  he  stood  behind  her,  and 
silently  looked  at  her  back,  which  shook  with  suppressed 
emotion,  and  evil  and  good  feelings  were  fighting  in  his 
breast — feelings  of  wounded  pride  and  of  pity  for  her  who 
was  suffering — and  the  last  feeling  was  victorious. 

He  could  not  remember  which  came  first ;  did  the  pity  for 
her  first  enter  his  heart,  or  did  he  first  remember  his  own 
sins — his  own  repulsive  actions,  the  very  same  for  which  he 
was  condemning  her?  Anyhow,  he  both  felt  himself  guilty 
and  pitied  her. 

Having  signed  the  petition  and  wiped  her  inky  finger  on 
her  petticoat,  she  got  up  and  looked  at  him. 

"  Whatever  happens,  whatever  comes  of  it,  my  resolve  re- 
mains unchanged,"  said  Nekhludoff.  The  thought  that  he 
had  forgiven  her  heightened  his  feeling  of  pity  and  tender- 
ness for  her,  and  he  wished  to  comfort  her.  '  I  will  do  what 
I  have  said :  wherever  they  take  you  I  shall  be  with  you." 

"  What's  the  use  ?  "  she  interrupted  hurriedly,  though  her 
whole  face  lighted  up. 

"  Think  what  you  will  want  on  the  way." 

"  I  don't  know  of  anything  in  particular,  thank  you." 

The  inspector  came  up,  and  without  waiting  for  a  remark 


Resurrection  357 

from  him  Nekhludoff  took  leave,  and  went  out  with  peace, 
joy,  and  love  towards  everybody  in  his  heart  such  as  he  had 
never  felt  before.  The  certainty  that  no  action  of  Maslova 
could  change  his  love  for  her  filled  him  with  joy  and  raised 
him  to  a  level  which  he  had  never  before  attained.  Let  her 
intrigue  with  the  medical  assistant ;  that  was  her  business. 
He  loved  her  not  for  his  own  but  for  her  sake  and  for  God's. 

And  this  intrigue,  for  which  Maslova  was  turned  out  of 
the  hospital,  and  of  which  Nekhludoff  believed  she  was 
really  guilty,  consisted  of  the  following : 

Maslova  was  sent  by  the  head  nurse  to  get  some  herb  tea 
from  the  dispensary  at  the  end  of  the  corridor,  and  there,  all 
alone,  she  found  the  medical  assistant,  a  tall  man,  with  a 
blotchy  face,  who  had  for  a  long  time  been  bothering  her.  In 
trying  to  get  away  from  him  Maslova  gave  him  such  a  push 
that  he  knocked  his  head  against  a  shelf,  from  which  two  bot- 
tles fell  and  broke.  The  head  doctor,  who  was  passing  at 
that  moment,  heard  the  sound  of  breaking  glass,  and  saw 
Maslova  run  out,  quite  red,  and  shouted  to  her : 

"  Ah,  my  good  woman,  if  you  start  intriguing  here,  I'll 
send  you  about  your  business.  What  is  the  meaning  of  it  ?  " 
he  went  on,  addressing  the  medical  assistant,  and  looking  at 
him  over  his  spectacles. 

The  assistant  smiled,  and  began  to  justify  himself.  The 
doctor  gave  no  heed  to  him,  but,  lifting  his  head  so  that  he 
now  looked  through  his  spectacles,  he  entered  the  ward.  He 
told  the  inspector  the  same  day  to  send  another  more  sedate 
assistant-nurse  in  Maslova's  place.  And  this  was  her  "  in- 
trigue "  with  the  medical  assistant. 

Being  turned  out  for  a  love  intrigue  was  particularly  pain- 
ful to  Maslova,  because  the  relations  with  men,  which  had 
long  been  repulsive  to  her,  had  become  specially  disgusting 
after  meeting  Nekhludoff.  The  thought  that,  judging  her 
by  her  past  and  present  position,  every  man,  the  blotchy  as- 
sistant among  them,  considered  he  had  a  right  to  offend  her, 
and  was  surprised  at  her  refusal,  hurt  her  deeply,  and  made 
her  pity  herself  and  brought  tears  to  her  eyes. 

When  she  went  out  to  Nekhludoff  this  time  she  wished  to 
clear  herself  of  the  false  charge  which  she  knew  he  would 
certainly  have  heard  about.  But  when  she  began  to  justify 
herself  she  felt  he  did  not  believe  her,  and  that  her  excuses 
would  only  strengthen  his  suspicions ;  tear?  choked  her,  and 
she  was  silent. 


358  Resurrection 

Maslova  still  thought  and  continued  to  persuade  herself 
that  she  had  never  forgiven  him,  and  hated  him,  as  she  told 
him  at  their  second  interview,  but  in  reality  she  loved  him 
again,  and  loved  him  so  that  she  did  all  he  wished  her  to  do ; 
left  off  drinking,  smoking,  coquetting,  and  entered  the  hos- 
pital because  she  knew  he  wished  it.  And  if  every  time  he 
reminded  her  of  it,  she  refused  so  decidedly  to  accept  his 
sacrifice  and  marry  him,  it  was  because  she  liked  repeating 
the  proud  words  she  had  once  uttered,  and  because  she 
knew  that  a  marriage  with  her  would  be  a  misfortune  for 
him. 

She  had  resolutely  made  up  her  mind  that  she  would  not 
accept  his  sacrifice,  and  yet  the  thought  that  he  despised 
her  and  believed  that  she  still  was  what  she  had  been,  and 
did  not  notice  the  change  that  had  taken  place  in  her,  was 
very  painful.  That  he  could  still  think  she  had  done  wrong 
while  in  the  hospital  tormented  her  more  than  the  news  that 
her  sentence  was  confirmed. 


Resurrection  359 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  ASTONISHING  INSTITUTION  CALLED  CRIMINAL  LAW. 

Maslova  might  be  sent  off  with  the  first  gang  of  prisoners, 
therefore  Nekhludoff  got  ready  for  his  departure.  But  there 
was  so  much  to  be  done  that  he  felt  that  he  could  not  finish 
it,  however  much  time  he  might  have.  It  was  quite  dif- 
ferent now  from  what  it  had  been.  Formerly  he  used  to  be 
obliged  to  look  for  an  occupation,  the  interest  of  which  al- 
ways centred  in  one  person,  i.e.,  Dmitri  Ivanovitch  Nekh- 
ludoff, and  yet,  though  every  interest  of  his  life  was  thus 
centred,  all  these  occupations  were  very  wearisome.  Now 
all  his  occupations  related  to  other  people  and  not  to  Dmitri 
Ivanovitch,  and  they  were  all  interesting  and  attractive, 
and  there  was  no  end  to  them.  Nor  was  this  all.  Formerly 
Dmitri  Ivanovitch  Nekhludoff's  occupations  always  made 
him  feel  vexed  and  irritable ;  now  they  produced  a  joyful 
state  of  mind.  The  business  at  present  occupying  Nekhlu- 
doff could  be  divided  under  three  headings.  He  himself, 
with  his  usual  pedantry,  divided  it  in  that  way,  and  accord- 
ingly kept  the  papers  referring  to  it  in  three  different  port- 
folios. The  first  referred  to  Maslova,  and  was  chiefly  that 
of  taking  steps  to  get  her  petition  to  the  Emperor  attended 
to,  and  preparing  for  her  probable  journey  to  Siberia. 

The  second  was  about  his  estates.  In  Panovo  he  had 
given  the  land  to  the  peasants  on  condition  of  their  paying 
rent  to  be  put  to  their  own  communal  use.  But  he  had  to 
confirm  this  transaction  by  a  legal  deed,  and  to  make  his 
will,  in  accordance  with  it.  In  Kousminski  the  state  of 
things  was  still  as  he  had  first  arranged  it,  i.e.,  he  was  to  re- 
ceive the  rent ;  but  the  terms  had  to  be  fixed,  and  also  how 
much  of  the  money  he  would  use  to  live  on,  and  how  much 
he  would  leave  for  the  peasants'  use.  As  he  did  not  know 
what  his  journey  to  Siberia  would  cost  him,  he  could  not 
decide  to  lose  this  revenue  altogether,  though  he  reduced 
the  income  from  it  by  half. 


360  Resurrection 

The  third  part  of  his  business  was  to  help  the  convicts, 
who  applied  more  and  more  often  to  him.  At  first  when  he 
came  in  contact  with  the  prisoners,  and  they  appealed  to 
him  for  help,  he  at  once  began  interceding  for  them,  hoping 
to  lighten  their  fate,  but  he  soon  had  so  many  applications 
that  he  felt  the  impossibility  of  attending  to  all  of  them,  and 
that  naturally  led  him  to  take  up  another  piece  of  work, 
which  at  last  roused  his  interest  even  more  than  the  three 
first.  This  new  part  of  his  business  was  finding  an  answer 
to  the  following  questions :  What  was  this  astonishing  in- 
stitution called  criminal  law,  of  which  the  results  were  that 
in  the  prison,  with  some  of  the  inmates  of  which  he  had 
lately  become  acquainted,  and  in  all  those  other  places  of 
confinement,  from  the  Peter  and  Paul  Fortress  in  Peters- 
burg to  the  island  of  Sakhalin,  hundreds  and  thousands  of 
victims  were  pining?  What  did  this  strange  criminal  law 
exist  for?    How  had  it  originated? 

From  his  personal  relations  with  the  prisoners,  from 
notes  by  some  of  those  in  confinement,  and  by  questioning 
the  advocate  and  the  prison  priest,  Nekhludoff  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  convicts,  the  so-called  criminals,  could 
be  divided  into  five  classes.  The  first  were  quite  innocent 
people,  condemned  by  judicial  blunder.  Such  were  the 
Menshoffs,  supposed  to  be  incendiaries,  Maslova,  and  others. 
There  were  not  many  of  these ;  according  to  the  priest's 
words,  only  seven  per  cent.,  but  their  condition  excited  par- 
ticular interest. 

To  the  second  class  belong  persons  condemned  for  ac- 
tions done  under  peculiar  circumstances,  i.e.,  in  a  fit  of  pas- 
sion, jealousy,  or  drunkenness,  circumstances  under  which 
those  who  judged  them  would  surely  have  committed  the 
same  actions. 

The  third  class  consisted  of  people  punished  for  having 
committed  actions  which,  according  to  their  understanding, 
were  quite  natural,  and  even  good,  but  which  those  other 
people,  the  men  who  made  the  laws,  considered  to  be 
crimes.  Such  were  the  persons  who  sold  spirits  without  a 
license,  smugglers ;  those  who  gathered  grass  and  wood  on 
large  estates  and  in  the  forests  belonging  to  the  Crown ;  the 
thieving  miners;  and  those  unbelieving  people  who  robbed 
churches. 

To  the  fourth  class  belonged  those  who  were  imprisoned 
only  because  they  stood  morally  higher  than  the  average 


Resurrection  361 

level  of  society.  Such  were  the  Sectarians,  the  Poles,  the 
Circassians  rebelling  in  order  to  regain  their  independence, 
the  political  prisoners,  the  Socialists,  the  strikers  con- 
demned for  withstanding  the  authorities.  There  was,  ac- 
cording to  Nekhludoff's  observations,  a  very  large  per- 
centage belonging  to  this  class ;  among  them  some  of  the 
best  of  men. 

The  fifth  class  consisted  of  persons  who  had  been  far 
more  sinned  against  by  society  than  they  had  sinned  against 
it.  These  were  castaways,  stupefied  by  continual  oppres- 
sion and  temptation,  such  as  the  boy  who  had  stolen  the 
rugs,  and  hundreds  of  others  whom  Nekhludoff  had  seen  in 
the  prison  and  out  of  it.  The  conditions  under  which  they 
lived  seemed  to  lead  on  systematically  to  those  actions 
which  are  termed  crimes.  A  great  many  thieves  and  mur- 
derers with  whom  he  had  lately  come  in  contact,  according 
to  Nekhludoff's  estimate,  belonged  to  this  class.  To  this 
class  Nekhludoff  also  reckoned  those  depraved,  demoral- 
ised creatures  whom  the  new  school  of  criminology  classify 
as  the  criminal  type,  and  the  existence  of  which  is  consid- 
ered to  be  the  chief  proof  of  the  necessity  of  criminal  law 
and  punishment.  This  demoralised,  depraved,  abnormal 
type  was,  according  to  Nekhludoff,  exactly  the  same  as  that 
against  whom  society  had  sinned,  only  here  society  had 
sinned  not  directly  against  them,  but  against  their  parents, 
and  forefathers. 

Among  this  latter  class  Nekhludoff  was  specially  struck 
by  one  Okhotin,  an  inveterate  thief,  the  illegitimate  son  of 
a  prostitute,  brought  up  in  a  doss-house,  who,  up  to  the 
age  of  30,  had  apparently  never  met  with  any  one  whose 
morality  was  above  that  of  a  policeman,  and  who  had  got 
into  a  band  of  thieves  when  quite  young.  He  was  gifted 
with  an  extraordinary  sense  of  humour,  by  means  of  which 
he  made  himself  very  attractive.  He  asked  Nekhludofif  for 
protection,  at  the  same  time  making  fun  of  himself,  the 
lawyers,  the  prison,  and  laws  human  and  divine. 

Another  was  the  handsome  Fedoroff,  who,  with  a  band 
of  robbers,  of  whom  he  was  the  chief,  had  robbed  and  mur- 
dered an  old  man,  an  official.  Fedoroff  was  a  peasant, 
whose  father  had  been  unlawfully  deprived  of  his  house, 
and  who,  later  on,  when  serving  as  a  soldier,  had  suffered 
much  because  he  had  fallen  in  love  with  an  officer's  mis- 
tress.   He  had  a  fascinating,  passionate  nature,  that  longed 


362  Resurrection 

for  enjoyment  at  any  cost.  He  had  never  met  anybody  who 
restrained  himself  for  any  cause  whatever,  and  had  never 
heard  a  word  about  any  aim  in  life  other  than  enjoyment. 

Nekhludoff  distinctly  saw  that  both  these  men  were  richiy 
endowed  by  nature,  but  had  been  neglected  and  crippled  like 
uncared-for  plants. 

He  had  also  met  a  tramp  and  a  woman  who  had  repelled 
him  by  their  dulness  and  seeming  cruelty,  but  even  in  them 
he  could  find  no  trace  of  the  criminal  type  written  about  by 
the  Italian  school,  but  only  saw  in  them  people  who  were  re- 
pulsive to  him  personally,  just  in  the  same  way  as  some  he 
had  met  outside  the  prison,  in  swallow-tail  coats  wearing 
epaulettes,  or  bedecked  with  lace.  And  so  the  investigation 
of  the  reasons  why  all  these  very  different  persons  were  put 
in  prison,  while  others  just  like  them  were  going  about  free 
and  even  judging  them,  formed  a  fourth  task  for  Nekh- 
ludoff. 

He  hoped  to  find  an  answer  to  this  question  in  books,  and 
bought  all  that  referred  to  it.  He  got  the  works  of  Lom- 
broso,  Garofalo,  Ferry,  List,  Maudsley,  Tard,  and  read  them 
carefully.  But  as  he  read  he  became  more  and  more  disap- 
pointed. It  happened  to  him  as  it  always  happens  to  those 
who  turn  to  science  not  in  order  to  play  a  part  in  it,  nor  to 
write,  nor  to  dispute,  nor  to  teach,  but  simply  for  an  answer 
to  an  everyday  question  of  life.  Science  answered  thousands 
of  different  very  subtle  and  ingenious  questions  touching 
criminal  law,  but  not  the  one  he  was  trying  to  solve.  He 
asked  a  very  simple  question :  "  Why,  and  with  what  right, 
do  some  people  lock  up,  torment,  exile,  flog,  and  kill  others, 
while  they  are  themselves  just  like  those  whom  they  torment, 
flog,  and  kill  ?  "  And  in  answer  he  got  deliberations  as  to 
whether  human  beings  had  free  will  or  not.  Whether  signs 
of  criminality  could  be  detected  by  measuring  the  skulls  or 
not.  What  part  heredity  played  in  crime.  Whether  immo- 
rality could  be  inherited.  What  madness  is,  what  degenera- 
tion is,  and  what  temperament  is.  How  climate,  food,  ig- 
norance, imitativeness,  hypnotism,  or  passion  act.  What  so- 
ciety is.    What  are  its  duties,  etc.,  etc. 

These  disquisitions  reminded  him  of  the  answer  he  once 
got  from  a  little  boy  whom  he  met  coming  home  from  school. 
Nekhludoff  asked  him  if  he  had  learned  his  spelling. 

"  I  have,"  answered  the  boy. 
'  Well,  then,  tell  me,  how  do  you  spell  '  leg'  ?  " 


Resurrection  363 

"A  dog's  leg,  or  what  kind  of  leg?"  the  boy  answered, 
with  a  sly  look. 

Answers  in  the  form  of  new  questions,  like  the  boy's,  was 
all  Nekhludoff  got  in  reply  to  his  one  primary  question.  He 
found  much  that  was  clever,  learned  much  that  was  interest- 
ing, but  what  he  did  not  find  was  an  answer  to  the  principal 
question :  By  what  right  some  people  punish  others  ? 

Not  only  did  he  not  find  any  answer,  but  all  the  arguments 
were  brought  forward  in  order  to  explain  and  vindicate  pun- 
ishment, the  necessity  of  which  was  taken  as  an  axiom. 

Nekhludoff  read  much,  but  only  in  snatches,  and  putting 
down  his  failure  to  this  superficial  way  of  reading,  hoped  to 
find  the  answer  later  on.  He  would  not  allow  himself  to  be- 
lieve in  the  truth  of  the  answer  which  began,  more  and  more 
often,  to  present  itself  to  him. 


364 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 
nekhludoff's  sister  and  her  husband. 

The  gang  of  prisoners,  with  Maslova  among  them,  was  to 
start  on  the  5th  July.     Nekhludoff  arranged  to  start  on  the. 
same  day. 

The  day  before,  Nekhludoff's  sister  and  her  husband  came 
to  town  to  see  him. 

.  Nekhludoff's  sister,  Nathalie  Ivanovna  Rogozhinsky,  was 
10  years  older  than  her  brother.  She  had  been  very  fond 
of  him  when  he  was  a  boy,  and  later  on,  just  before  her  mar- 
riage, they  grew  very  close  to  each  other,  as  if  they  were 
equals,  she  being  a  young  woman  of  25,  he  a  lad  of  15.  At 
that  time  she  was  in  love  with  his  friend,  Nikolenka  Irten- 
ieff,  since  dead.  They  both  loved  Nikolenka,  and  loved  in 
him  and  in  themselves  that  which  is  good,  and  which  unites 
all  men.  Since  then  they  had  both  been  depraved,  he  by  mil- 
itary service  and  a  vicious  life,  she  by  marriage  with  a  man 
whom  she  loved  with  a  sensual  love,  who  did  not  care  for 
the  things  that  had  once  been  so  dear  and  holy  to  her  and 
to  her  brother,  nor  even  understand  the  meaning  of  those  as- 
pirations towards  moral  perfection  and  the  service  of  man- 
kind, which  once  constituted  her  life,  and  put  them  down  to 
ambition  and  the  wish  to  show  off;  that  being  the  only  ex- 
planation comprehensible  to  him. 

Nathalie's  husband  had  been  a  man  without  a  name  and 
without  means,  but  cleverly  steering  towards  Liberalism  or 
Conservatism,  according  to  which  best  suited  his  purpose,  he 
managed  to  make  a  comparatively  brilliant  judicial  career. 
Some  peculiarity  which  made  him  attractive  to  women  as- 
sisted him  when  he  was  no  longer  in  his  first  youth.  While 
travelling  abroad  he  made  Nekhludoff's  acquaintance,  and 
managed  to  make  Nathalie,  who  was  also  no  longer  a  girl, 
fall  in  love  with  him,  rather  against  her  mother's  wishes,  who 
considered  a  marriage  with  him  to  be  a  mesalliance  for  her 
daughter.  Nekhludoff,  though  he  tried  to  hide  it  from  him- 
self, though  he  fought  against  it,  hated  his  brother-in-law. 


Resurrection  365 

Nekhludoff  had  a  strong  antipathy  towards  him  because  of 
the  vulgarity  of  his  feelings,  his  assurance  and  narrowness, 
but  chiefly  because  of  Nathalie,  who  managed  to  love  him  in 
spite  of  the  narrowness  of  his  nature,  and  loved  him  so  sel- 
fishly, so  sensually,  and  stifled  for  his  sake  all  the  good  that 
had  been  in  her. 

It  always  hurt  Nekhludoff  to  think  of  Nathalie  as  the  wife 
of  that  hairy,  self-assured  man  with  the  shiny,  bald  patch 
on  his  head.  He  could  not  even  master  a  feeling  of  revulsion 
towards  their  children,  and  when  he  heard  that  she  was 
again  going  to  have  a  baby,  he  felt  something  like  sorrow 
that  she  had  once  more  been  infected  with  something  bad  by 
this  man  who  was  so  foreign  to  him.  The  Rogozhinskys  had 
come  to  Moscow  alone,  having  left  their  two  children — a  boy 
and  a  girl — at  home,  and  stopped  in  the  best  rooms  of  the 
best  hotel.  Nathalie  at  once  went  to  her  mother's  old  house, 
but  hearing  from  Agraphena  Petrovna  that  her  brother  had 
left,  and  was  living  in  a  lodging-house,  she  drove  there.  The 
dirty  servant  met  her  in  the  stuffy  passage,  dark  but  for  a 
lamp  which  burnt  there  all  day.  He  told  her  that  the  Prince 
was  not  in. 

Nathalie  asked  to  be  shown  into  his  rooms,  as  she  wished 
to  leave  a  note  for  him,  and  the  man  took  her  up. 

Nathalie  carefully  examined  her  brother's  two  little  rooms. 
She  noticed  in  everything  the  love  of  cleanliness  and  order 
she  knew  so  well  in  him,  and  was  struck  by  the  novel  sim- 
plicity of  the  surroundings.  On  his  writing-table  she  saw 
the  paper-weight  with  the  bronze  dog  on  the  top  which  she 
remembered ;  the  tidy  way  in  which  his  different  portfolios 
and  writing  utensils  were  placed  on  the  table  was  also  fa- 
miliar, and  so  was  the  large,  crooked  ivory  paper  knife  which 
marked  the  place  in  a  French  book  by  Tard,  which  lay  with 
other  volumes  on  punishment  and  a  book  in  English  by 
Henry  George.  She  sat  down  at  the  table  and  wrote  a 
note  asking  him  to  be  sure  to  come  that  same  day,  and  shak- 
ing her  head  in  surprise  at  what  she  saw,  she  returned  to  her 
hotel. 

Two  questions  regarding  her  brother  now  interested  Nath- 
alie :  his  marriage  with  Katusha,  which  she  had  heard  spoken 
about  in  their  town — for  everybody  was  speaking  about  it — 
and  his  giving  away  the  land  to  the  peasants,  which  was 
also  known,  and  struck  many  as  something  of  a  political  na- 
ture, and  dangerous.     The  marriage  with  Katusha  pleased 


366  Resurrection 

her  in  a  way.  She  admired  that  resoluteness  which  was  so 
like  him  and  herself  as  they  used  to  be  in  those  happy  times 
before  her  marriage.  And  yet  she  was  horrified  when  she 
thought  her  brother  was  going  to  marry  such  a  dreadful 
woman.  The  latter  was  the  stronger  feeling  of  the  two,  and 
she  decided  to  use  all  her  influence  to  prevent  him  from 
doing  it,  though  she  knew  how  difficult  this  would  be. 

The  other  matter,  the  giving  up  of  the  land  to  the  peasants, 
did  not  touch  her  so  nearly,  but  her  husband  was  very  indig- 
nant about  it,  and  expected  her  to  influence  her  brother 
against  it. 

Rogozhinsky  said  that  such  an  action  was  the  height  of 
inconsistency,  flightiness,  and  pride,  the  only  possible  ex- 
planation of  which  was  the  desire  to  appear  original,  to  brag, 
to  make  one's  self  talked  about. 

'  What  sense  could  there  be  in  letting  the  land  to  the  peas- 
ants, on  condition  that  they  pay  the  rent  to  themselves  ?  "  he 
said.  ;<  If  he  was  resolved  to  do  such  a  thing,  why  not  sell 
the  land  to  them  through  the  Peasants'  Bank  ?  There  might 
have  been  some  sense  in  that.  In  fact,  this  act  verges  on 
insanity." 

And  Rogozhinsky  began  seriously  thinking  about  putting 
Nekhludoff  under  guardianship,  and  demanded  of  his  wife 
that  she  should  speak  seriously  to  her  brother  about  his  curi- 
ous intention. 


Resurrection  367 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 
nekhludoff's  anarchism. 

As  soon  as  Nekhludoff  returned  that  evening  and  saw  his 
sister's  note  on  the  table  he  started  to  go  and  see  her.  He 
found  Nathalie  alone,  her  husband  having  gone  to  take  a 
rest  in  the  next  room.  She  wore  a  tightly-fitting  black  silk 
dress,  with  a  red  bow  in  front.  Her  black  hair  was  crimped 
and  arranged  according  to  the  latest  fashion. 

The  pains  she  took  to  appear  young,  for  the  sake  of  her 
husband,  whose  equal  she  was  in  years,  were  very  obvious. 

When  she  saw  her  brother  she  jumped  up  and  hurried 
towards  him,  with  her  silk  dress  rustling.  They  kissed,  and 
looked  smilingly  at  each  other.  There  passed  between  them 
that  mysterious  exchange  of  looks,  full  of  meaning,  in  which 
all  was  true,  and  which  cannot  be  expressed  in  words.  Then 
came  words  which  were  not  true.  They  had  not  met  since 
their  mother's  death. 

"  You  have  grown  stouter  and  younger,"  he  said,  and  her 
lips  puckered  up  with  pleasure. 

"  And  you  have  grown  thinner." 

"  Well,  and  how  is  your  husband?  "  Nekhludoff  asked. 

"  He  is  taking  a  rest;  he  did  not  sleep  all  night."  There 
was  much  to  say,  but  it  was  not  said  in  words ;  only  their 
looks  expressed  what  their  words  failed  to  say. 

"  I  went  to  see  you." 

"  Yes,  I  know.  I  moved  because  the  house  is  too  big  for 
me.  I  was  lonely  there,  and  dull.  I  want  nothing  of  all  that 
is  there,  so  that  you  had  better  take  it  all — the  furniture,  I 
mean,  and  things." 

"  Yes,  Agraphena  Petrovna  told  me.  I  went  there. 
Thanks,  very  much.    But " 

At  this  moment  the  hotel  waiter  brought  in  a  silver  tea- 
set.  While  he  set  the  table  they  were  silent.  Then  Nathalie 
sat  down  at  the  table  and  made  the  tea,  still  in  silence. 
Nekhludoff  also  said  nothing. 

At  last  Nathalie  began  resolutely.  "  Well,  Dmitri,  I  know 
all  about  it."    And  she  looked  at  him. 

"  What  of  that  ?    I  am  glad  you  know." 


368  Resurrection 

"  How  can  you  hope  to  reform  her  after  the  life  she  has 
led  ?  "  she  asked. 

He  sat  quite  straight  on  a  small  chair,  and  listened  atten- 
tively, trying  to  understand  her  and  to  answer  rightly.  The 
state  of  mind  called  forth  in  him  by  his  last  interview  with 
Maslova  still  filled  his  soul  with  quiet  joy  and  good  will  to 
all  men. 

"  It  is  not  her  but  myself  I  wish  to  reform,"  he  replied. 

Nathalie  sighed. 
1  There  are  other  means  besides  marriage  to  do  that." 

"  But  I  think  it  is  the  best.  Besides,  it  leads  me  into  that 
world  in  which  I  can  be  of  use." 

'  I  cannot  believe  you  will  be  happy,"  said  Nathalie. 

"  It's  not  my  happiness  that  is  the  point." 

"  Of  course ;  but  if  she  has  a  heart  she  cannot  be  happy 
— cannot  even  wish  it." 

"  She  does  not  wish  it." 

"  I  understand  ;  but  life " 

"Yes— life?" 

"  Demands  something  different." 

"  It   demands   nothing  but   that   we   should   do  what    is 
right,"  said  Nekhludoff,  looking  into  her  face,  still  hand- 
some, though  slightly  wrinkled  round  eyes  and  mouth. 
'  I  do  not  understand,"  she  said,  and  sighed. 

:' Poor  darling;  how  could  she  change  so?"  he  thought, 
calling  back  to  his  mind  Nathalie  as  she  had  been  before  her 
marriage,  and  feeling  towards  her  a  tenderness  woven  out 
of  innumerable  memories  of  childhood.  At  that  moment 
Rogozhinsky  entered  the  room,  with  head  thrown  back  and 
expanded  chest,  and  stepping  lightly  and  softly  in  his  usual 
manner,  his  spectacles,  his  bald  patch,  and  his  black  beard 
all  glistening. 

"  How  do  you  do  ?  How  do  you  do  ?  "  he  said,  laying  an 
unnatural  and  intentional  stress  on  his  words.  (Though, 
soon  after  the  marriage,  they  had  tried  to  be  more  familiar 
with  each  other,  they  had  never  succeeded.) 

They  shook  hands,  and  Rogozhinsky  sank  softly  into  an 
easy-chair. 

"  Am  I  not  interrupting  your  conversation  ?  " 
'  No,  I  do  not  wish  to  hide  what  I  am  saying  or  doing 
from  any  one." 

As  soon  as  Nekhludoff  saw  the  hairy  hands,  and  heard  the 


Resurrectior  369 

patronising,  self-assured  tones,  his  meekness  left  him  in  a 
moment. 

'  Yes,  we  were  talking  about  his  intentions,"  said  Nathalie. 
"  Shall  I  give  you  a  cup  of  tea  ?  "  she  added,  taking  the 
teapot. 

'  Yes,  please.    What  particular  intentions  do  you  mean?  " 

'  That  of  going  to  Siberia  with  the  gang  of  prisoners, 
among  whom  is  the  woman  I  consider  myself  to  have 
wronged,"  uttered  Nekhludoff. 

'  I  hear  not  only  to  accompany  her,  but  more  than  that." 

"  Yes,  and  to  marry  her  if  she  wishes  it." 

"  Dear  me !  But  if  you  do  not  object  I  should  like  to  ask 
you  to  explain  your  motives.     I  do  not  understand  them." 

'  My  motives  are  that  this  woman — that  this   woman's 

first  step  on  her  way  to  degradation "  Nekhludoff  got 

angry  with  himself,  and  was  unable  to  find  the  right  expres- 
sion. "  My  motives  are  that  I  am  the  guilty  one,  and  she 
gets  the  punishment." 

"  If  she  is  being  punished  she  cannot  be  innocent,  either." 

"  She  is  quite  innocent."  And  Nekhludoff  related  the 
whole  incident  with  unnecessary  warmth. 

'  Yes,  that  was  a  case  of  carelessness  on  the  part  of  the 
president,  the  result  of  which  was  a  thoughtless  answer  on 
the  part  of  the  jury ;  but  there  is  the  Senate  for  cases  like 
that." 

"  The  Senate  has  rejected  the  appeal." 

'  Well,  if  the  Senate  has  rejected  it,  there  cannot  have 
been  sufficient  reasons  for  an  appeal,"  said  Rogozhinsky, 
evidently  sharing  the  prevailing  opinion  that  truth  is  the 
product  of  judicial  decrees.  '  The  Senate  cannot  enter  into 
the  question  on  its  merits.  If  there  is  a  real  mistake,  the 
Emperor  should  be  petitioned." 

'  That  has  been  done,  but  there  is  no  probability  of  suc- 
cess. They  will  apply  to  the  Department  of  the  Ministry,  the 
Department  will  consult  the  Senate,  the  Senate  will  repeat 
its  decision,  and,  as  usual,  the  innocent  will  get  punished." 

!i  In  the  first  place,  the  Department  of  the  Ministry  won't 
consult  the  Senate,"  said  Rogozhinsky,  with  a  condescend- 
ing smile ;  "  it  will  give  orders  for  the  original  deeds  to  be 
sent  from  the  Law  Court,  and  if  it  discovers  a  mistake  it 
will  decide  accordingly.  And,  secondly,  the  innocent  are 
never  punished,  or  at  least  in  very  rare,  exceptional  cases. 
It  is  the  guilty  who  are  punished,"  Rogozhinsky  said  delib- 
erately, and  smiled  self-complacently. 


^jo  Resurrection 

"  And  I  have  become  fully  convinced  that  most  of  those 
condemned  by  law  are  innocent." 

"How's  that?" 

"  Innocent  in  the  literal  sense.  Just  as  this  woman  is 
innocent  of  poisoning  any  one ;  as  innocent  as  a  peasant  I 
have  just  come  to  know,  of  the  murder  he  never  com- 
mitted ;  as  a  mother  and  son  who  were  on  the  point  of  being 
condemned  for  incendiarism,  which  was  committed  by  the 
owner  of  the  house  that  was  set  on  fire." 

"  Well,  of  course  there  always  have  been  and  always  will 
be  judicial  errors.     Human  institutions  cannot  be  perfect." 

"  And,  besides,  there  are  a  great  many  people  convicted 
who  are  innocent  of  doing  anything  considered  wrong  by 
the  society  they  have  grown  up  in." 

"  Excuse  me,  this  is  not  so;  every  thief  knows  that  steal- 
ing is  wrong,  and  that  we  should  not  steal ;  that  it  is  im- 
moral," said  Rogozhinsky,  with  his  quiet,  self-assured, 
slightly  contemptuous  smile,  which  specially  irritated  Nekh- 
ludoff. 

"  No,  he  does  not  know  it ;  they  say  to  him  '  don't  steal,' 
and  he  knows  that  the  master  of  the  factory  steals  his  labour 
by  keeping  back  his  wages ;  that  the  Government,  with  its 
officials,  robs  him  continually  by  taxation." 

"  Why,  this  is  anarchism,"  Rogozhinsky  said,  quietly 
defining  his  brother-in-law's  words. 

"  I  don't  know  what  it  is ;  I  am  only  telling  you  the  truth," 
Nekhludoff  continued.  "  He  knows  that  the  Government 
is  robbing  him,  knows  that  we  landed  proprietors  have 
robbed  him  long  since,  robbed  him  of  the  land  which  should 
be  the  common  property  of  all,  and  then,  if  he  picks  up  dry 
wood  to  light  his  fire  on  that  land  stolen  from  him,  we  put 
him  in  jail,  and  try  to  persuade  him  that  he  is  a  thief.  Of 
course  he  knows  that  not  he  but  those  who  robbed  him  of 
the  land  are  thieves,  and  that  to  get  any  restitution  of  what 
has  been  robbed  is  his  duty  towards  his  family." 

"  I  don't  understand,  or'  if  I  do  I  cannot  agree  with  it. 
The  land  must  be  somebody's  property,"  began  Rogozhinsky 
quietly,  and,  convinced  that  Nekhludoff  was  a  Socialist,  and 
that  Socialism  demands  that  all  the  land  should  be  divided 
equally,  that  such  a  division  would  be  very  foolish,  and  that 
he  could  easily  prove  it  to  be  so,  he  said :  "  If  you  divided  it 
equally  to-day,  it  would  to-morrow  be  again  in  the  hands  of 
the  most  industrious  and  clever." 


Resurrection  371 

"  Nobody  is  thinking  of  dividing  the  land  equally.  The 
land  must  not  be  anybody's  property ;  must  not  be  a  thing 
to  be  bought  and  sold  or  rented." 

"  The  rights  of  property  are  inborn  in  man ;  without  them 
the  cultivation  of  land  would  present  no  interest.  Destroy 
the  rights  of  property  and  we  lapse  into  barbarism."  Rogo- 
zhinsky  uttered  this  authoritatively,  repeating  the  usual 
argument  in  favour  of  private  ownership  of  land  which  is 
supposed  to  be  irrefutable,  based  on  the  assumption  that 
people's  desire  to  possess  land  proves  that  they  need  it. 

"  On  the  contrary,  only  when  the  land  is  nobody's  prop- 
erty will  it  cease  to  lie  idle,  as  it  does  now,  while  the  land- 
lords, like  dogs  in  the  manger,  unable  themselves  to  put  it 
to  use,  will  not  let  those  use  it  who  are  able." 

"  But,  Dmitri  Ivanovitch,  what  you  are  saying  is  sheer 
madness.  Is  it  possible  to  abolish  property  in  land  in  our 
age  ?  I  know  it  is  your  old  hobby.  But  allow  me  to  tell  you 
straight,"  and  Rogozhinsky  grew  pale,  and  his  voice  trem- 
bled. It  was  evident  that  this  question  touched  him  very 
nearly.  :( I  should  advise  you  to  consider  this  question  well 
before  attempting  to  solve  it  practically." 

"  Are  you  speaking  of  my  personal  affairs  ?  " 

'  Yes,  I  hold  that  we  who  are  placed  in  special  circum- 
stances should  bear  the  responsibilities  which  spring  from 
those  circumstances,  should  uphold  the  conditions  in  which 
we  were  born,  and  which  we  have  inherited  from  our  prede- 
cessors, and  which  we  ought  to  pass  on  to  our  descendants." 

"  I  consider  it  my  duty " 

"  Wait  a  bit,"  said  Rogozhinsky,  not  permitting  the  inter- 
ruption. "  I  am  not  speaking  for  myself  or  my  children. 
The  position  of  my  children  is  assured,  and  I  earn  enough 
for  us  to  live  comfortably,  and  I  expect  my  children  will 
live  so  too,  so  that  my  interest  in  your  action — which,  if 
you  will  allow  me  to  say  so,  is  not  well  considered — is  not 
based  on  personal  motives ;  it  is  on  principle  that  I  can- 
not agree  with  you.     I  should  advise  you  to  think  it  well 

over,  to  read " 

'  Please  allow  me  to  settle  my  affairs,  and  to  choose 
what  to  read  and  what  not  to  read,  myself,"  said  Nekhlu- 
doff,  turning  pale.  Feeling  his  hands  grow  cold,  and  that 
he  was  no  longer  master  of  himself,  he  stopped,  and  began 
drinking  his  tea. 


372  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


THE  AIM  OF  THE  LAW. 


'  Well,  and  how  are  the  children  ?  "  Nekhludoff  asked 
his  sister  when  he  was  calmer.  The  sister  told  him  about 
the  children.  She  said  they  were  staying  with  their  grand- 
mother (their  father's  mother),  and,  pleased  that  his  dispute 
with  her  husband  had  come  to  an  end,  she  began  telling 
him  how  her  children  played  that  they  were  travelling,  just 
as  he  used  to  do  with  his  three  dolls,  one  of  them  a  negro 
and  another  which  he  called  the  French  lady. 

"Can  you  really  remember  it  all?"  said  Nekhludoff, 
smiling. 

'  Yes,  and  just  fancy,  they  play  in  the  very  same  way." 

The  unpleasant  conversation  had  been  brought  to  an 
end,  and  Nathalie  was  quieter,  but  she  did  not  care  to  talk 
in  her  husband's  presence  of  what  could  be  comprehensible 
only  to  her  brother,  so,  wishing  to  start  a  general  conversa- 
tion, she  began  talking  about  the  sorrow  of  Kamenski's 
mother  at  losing  her  only  son,  who  had  fallen  in  a  duel,  for 
this  Petersburg  topic  of  the  day  had  now  reached  Moscow. 
Rogozhinsky  expressed  disapproval  at  the  state  of  things 
that  excluded  murder  in  a  duel  from  the  ordinary  criminal 
offences.  This  remark  evoked  a  rejoinder  from  Nekhludoff, 
and  a  new  dispute  arose  on  the  subject.  Nothing  was  fully 
explained,  neither  of  the  antagonists  expressed  all  he  had 
in  his  mind,  each  keeping  to  his  conviction,  which  con- 
demned the  other.  Rogozhinsky  felt  that  Nekhludoff  con- 
demned him  and  despised  his  activity-,  and  he  wished  to 
show  him  the  injustice  of  his  opinions. 

Nekhludoff.  on  the  other  hand,  felt  provoked  by  his 
brother-in-law's  interference  in  his  affairs  concerning  the 
land.  And  knowing  in  his  heart  of  hearts  that  his  sister, 
her  husband,  and  their  children,  as  his  heirs,  had  a  right  to 
do  so,  was  indignant  that  this  narrow-minded  man  per- 
sisted with  calm  assurance  to  regard  as  just  and  lawful  what 
Nekhludoff  no  longer  doubted  was  folly  and  crime. 


Z 


3       » 


Pi 

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o 


c/3    en 

2 
p- 

w 


Resurrection 


373 


This  man's  arrogance  annoyed  Nekhludoff. 

"  What  could  the  law  do  ?  "  he  asked. 

;'  It  could  sentence  one  of  the  two  duellists  to  the  mines 
like  an  ordinary  murderer." 

Nekhludoff  s  hands  grew  cold. 

"  Well,  and  what  good  would  that  be?  "  he  asked,  hotly. 

"  It  would  be  just." 

"  As  if  justice  were  the  aim  of  the  law,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

"What  else?" 

'  The  upholding  of  class  interests !  I  think  the  law  is 
only  an  instrument  for  upholding  the  existing  order  of 
things  beneficial  to  our  class." 

"  This  is  a  perfectly  new  view,"  said  Rogozhinsky  with 
a  quiet  smile ;  "  the  law  is  generally  supposed  to  have  a 
totally  different  aim." 

'  Yes,  so  it  has  in  theory  but  not  in  practice,  as  I  have 
found  out.  The  law  aims  only  at  preserving  the  present 
state  of  things,  and  therefore  it  persecutes  and  executes 
those  who  stand  above  the  ordinary  level  and  wish  to  raise 
it — the  so-called  political  prisoners,  as  well  as  those  who  are 
below  the  average — the  so-called  criminal  types." 

'-  I  do  not  agree  with  you.  In  the  first  place,  I  cannot 
admit  that  the  criminals  classed  as  political  are  punished 
because  they  are  above  the  average.  In  most  cases  they 
are  the  refuse  of  society,  just  as  much  perverted,  though  in 
a  different  way,  as  the  criminal  types  whom  you  consider 
below  the  average." 

'  But  I  happen  to  know  men  who  are  morally  far  above 
their  judges;  all  the  sectarians  are  moral,  from " 

But  Rogozhinsky,  a  man  not  accustomed  to  be  inter- 
rupted when  he  spoke,  did  not  listen  to  Nekhludoff,  but 
went  on  talking  at  the  same  time,  thereby  irritating  him 
still  more. 

'  Nor  can  I  admit  that  the  object  of  the  law  is  the  uphold- 
ing of  the  present  state  of  things.  The  law  aims  at  reform- 
ing  " 

"  A  nice  kind  of  reform,  in  a  prison !  "  Nekhludoff  put  in. 

"  Or  removing,"  Rogozhinsky  went  on,  persistently,  "  the 
perverted  and  brutalised  persons  that  threaten  society." 

'  That's  just  what  it  doesn't  do.  Society  has  not  the 
means  of  doing  either  the  one  thing  or  the  other." 

:'  How  is  that  ?  I  don't  understand,"  said  Rogozhinsky 
with  a  forced  smile. 


374 


Resurrection 


"  I  mean  that  only  two  reasonable  kinds  of  punishment 
exist.  Those  used  in  the  old  days :  corporal  and  capital 
punishment,  which,  as  human  nature  gradually  softens, 
come  more  and  more  into  disuse,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

"  There,  now,  this  is  quite  new  and  very  strange  to  hear 
from  your  lips." 

"  Yes,  it  is  reasonable  to  hurt  a  man  so  that  he  should  not 
do  in  future  what  he  is  hurt  for  doing,  and  it  is  also  quite 
reasonable  to  cut  a  man's  head  off  when  he  is  injurious  or 
dangerous  to  society.  These  punishments  have  a  reason- 
able meaning.  But  what  sense  is  there  in  locking  up  in  a 
prison  a  man  perverted  by  want  of  occupation  and  bad  ex- 
ample ;  to  place  him  in  a  position  where  he  is  provided  for, 
where  laziness  is  imposed  on  him,  and  where  he  is  in  com- 
pany with  the  most  perverted  of  men  ?  What  reason  is  there 
to  take  a  man  at  public  cost  (it  comes  to  more  than  500 
roubles  per  head)  from  the  Toula  to  the  Irkoutsk  govern- 
ment, or  from  Koursk " 

"  Yes,  but  all  the  same,  people  are  afraid  of  those  jour- 
neys at  public  cost,  and  if  it  were  not  for  such  journeys  and 
the  prisons,  you  and  I  would  not  be  sitting  here  as  we  are." 

"  The  prisons  cannot  insure  our  safety,  because  these 
people  do  not  stay  there  for  ever,  but  are  set  free  again.  On 
the  contrary,  in  those  establishments  men  are  brought  to 
the  greatest  vice  and  degradation,  so  that  the  danger  is  in- 
creased." 

"  You  mean  to  say  that  the  penitentiary  system  should 
be  improved." 

"  It  cannot  be  improved.  Improved  prisons  would  cost 
more  than  all  that  is  being  now  spent  on  the  people's  educa- 
tion, and  would  lay  a  still  heavier  burden  on  the  people." 

"  The  shortcomings  of  the  penitentiary  system  in  nowise 
invalidate  the  law  itself,"  Rogozhinsky  continued  again, 
without  heeding  his  brother-in-law. 

"  There  is  no  remedy  for  these  shortcomings,"  said 
Nekhludoff,  raising  his  voice. 

"  What  of  that  ?   Shall  we  therefore  go  and  kill,  or,  as  a 
certain  statesman  proposed,  go  putting  out  people's  eyes  ?  ' 
Rogozhinsky  remarked. 

"  Yes ;  that  would  be  cruel,  but  it  would  be  effective. 
What  is  done  now  is  cruel,  and  not  only  ineffective,  but  so 
stupid   that   one   cannot   understand   how   people   in   their 


Resurrection  375 

senses  can  take  part  in  so  absurd  and  cruel  a  business  as 
criminal  law." 

"  But  I  happen  to  take  part  in  it,"  said  Rogozhinsky, 
growing  pale. 

"  That  is  your  business.  But  to  me  it  is  incompre- 
hensible." 

"  I  think  there  are  a  good  many  things  incomprehensible 
to  you,"  said  Rogozhinsky,  with  a  trembling  voice. 

"  I  have  seen  how  one  public  prosecutor  did  his  very  best 
to  get  an  unfortunate  boy  condemned,  who  could  have 
evoked  nothing  but  sympathy  in  an  unperverted  mind.  I 
know  how  another  cross-examined  a  sectarian  and  put 
down  the  reading  of  the  Gospels  as  a  criminal  offence ;  in 
fact,  the  whole  business  of  the  Law  Courts  consists  in  sense- 
less and  cruel  actions  of  that  sort." 

"  I  should  not  serve  if  I  thought  so,"  said  Rogozhinsky, 
rising. 

Nekhludoff  noticed  a  peculiar  glitter  under  his  brother- 
in-law's  spectacles.  "  Can  it  be  tears  ?  "  he  thought.  And 
they  were  really  tears  of  injured  pride.  Rogozhinsky  went 
up  to  the  window,  got  out  his  handkerchief,  coughed  and 
rubbed  his  spectacles,  took  them  off,  and  wiped  his  eyes. 

When  he  returned  to  the  sofa  he  lit  a  cigar,  and  did  not 
speak  any  more. 

Nekhludoff  felt  pained  and  ashamed  of  having  offended 
his  brother-in-law  and  his  sister  to  such  a  degree,  especially 
as  he  was  going  away  the  next  day. 

He  parted  with  them  in  confusion,  and  drove  home. 

"  All  I  have  said  may  be  true — anyhow  he  did  not  reply. 
But  it  was  not  said  in  the  right  way.  How  little  I  must 
have  changed  if  I  could  be  carried  away  by  ill-feeling  to 
such  an  extent  as  to  hurt  and  wound  poor  Nathalie  in  such 
a  way  !  "  he  thought. 


376 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE  PRISONERS  START  FOR  SIBERIA. 

The  gang  of  prisoners,  among  whom  was  Maslova,  was 
to  leave  Moscow  by  rail  at  3  p.m. ;  therefore,  in  order  to  see 
the  gang  start,  and  walk  to  the  station  with  the  prisoners 
Nekhludoff  meant  to  reach  the  prison  before  12  o'clock. 

The  night  before,  as  he  was  packing  up  and  sorting  his 
papers,  he  came  upon  his  diary,  and  read  some  bits  here  and 
there.  The  last  bit  written  before  he  left  for  Petersburg 
ran  thus :  "  Katusha  does  not  wish  to  accept  my  sacrifice ; 
she  wishes  to  make  a  sacrifice  herself.  She  has  conquered, 
and  so  have  I.  She  makes  me  happy  by  the  inner  change, 
which  seems  to  me,  though  I  fear  to  believe  it,  to  be  going 
on  in  her.  I  fear  to  believe  it,  yet  she  seems  to  be  coming  back 
to  life."  Then  further  on  he  read :  "  I  have  lived  through 
something  very  hard  and  very  joyful.  I  learnt  that  she  has 
behaved  very  badly  in  the  hospital,  and  I  suddenly  felt  great 
pain.  I  never  expected  that  it  could  be  so  painful.  I  spoke 
to  her  with  loathing  and  hatred,  then  all  of  a  sudden  I  called 
to  mind  how  many  times  I  have  been,  and  even  still  am, 
though  but  in  thought,  guilty  of  the  thing  that  I  hated  her 
for,  and  immediately  I  became  disgusting  to  myself,  and 
pitied  her  and  felt  happy  again.  If  only  we  could  manage 
to  see  the  beam  in  our  own  eye  in  time,  how  kind  we  should 
be."  Then  he  wrote :  '  I  have  been  to  see  Nathalie,  and 
again  self-satisfaction  made  me  unkind  and  spiteful,  and  a 
heavy  feeling  remains.  Well,  what  is  to  be  done?  To- 
morrow a  new  life  will  begin.  A  final  good-bye  to  the  old ! 
Many  new  impressions  have  accumulated,  but  I  cannot  yet 
bring  them  to  unity." 

When  he  awoke  the  next  morning  Nekhludoff's  first  feel- 
ing was  regret  about  the  affair  between  him  and  his  brother- 
in-law. 

"  I  cannot  go  away  like  this,"  he  thought.  "  I  must  go 
and  make  it  up  with  them."    But  when  he  looked  at  his 


Resurrection  377 

watch  he  saw  that  he  had  not  time  to  go,  but  must  hurry 
so  as  not  to  be  too  late  for  the  departure  of  the  gang.  He 
hastily  got  everything  ready,  and  sent  the  things  to  the 
station  with  a  servant  and  Taras,  Theodosia's  husband, 
who  was  going  with  them.  Then  he  took  the  first  isvost- 
chik  he  could  find  and  drove  off  to  the  prison. 

The  prisoners'  train  started  two  hours  before  the  train 
by  which  he  was  going,  so  Nekhludoff  paid  his  bill  in  the 
lodgings  and  left  for  good. 

It  was  July,  and  the  weather  was  unbearably  hot.  From 
the  stones,  the  walls,  the  iron  of  the  roofs,  which  the  sultry 
night  had  not  cooled,  the  heat  streamed  into  the  motionless 
air.  When  at  rare  intervals  a  slight  breeze  did  arise,  it 
brought  but  a  whiff  of  hot  air  filled  with  dust  and  smelling 
of  oil  paint. 

There  were  few  people  in  the  streets,  and  those  who  were 
out  tried  to  keep  on  the  shady  side.  Only  the  sunburnt 
peasants,  with  their  bronzed  faces  and  bark  shoes  on  their 
feet,  who  were  mending  the  road,  sat  hammering  the  stones 
into  the  burning  sand  in  the  sun ;  while  the  policemen,  in 
their  holland  blouses,  with  revolvers  fastened  with  orange 
cords,  stood  melancholy  and  depressed  in  the  middle  of  the 
road,  changing  from  foot  to  foot ;  and  the  tramcars,  the 
horses  of  which  wore  holland  hoods  on  their  heads,  with 
slits  for  the  ears,  kept  passing  up  and  down  the  sunny  road 
with  ringing  bells. 

When  Nekhludoff  drove  up  to  the  prison  the  gang  had 
not  left  the  yard.  The  work  of  delivering  and  receiving 
the  prisoners  that  had  commenced  at  4  a.m.  was  still  going 
on.  The  gang  was  to  consist  of  623  men  and  64  women ; 
they  had  all  to  be  received  according  to  the  registry  lists. 
The  sick  and  the  weak  to  be  sorted  out,  and  all  to  be  deliv- 
ered to  the  convoy.  The  new  inspector,  with  two  assistants, 
the  doctor  and  medical  assistant,  the  officer  of  the  convoy, 
and  the  clerk,  were  sitting  in  the  prison  yard  at  a  table 
covered  with  writing  materials  and  papers,  which  was  placed 
m  the  shade  of  a  wall.  They  called  the  prisoners  one  by 
one,  examined  and  questioned  them,  and  took  notes.  The 
rays  of  the  sun  had  gradually  reached  the  table,  and  it  was 
growing  very  hot  and  oppressive  for  want  of  air  and  because 
of  the  breathing  crowd  of  prisoners  that  stood  close  by. 

''  Good  gracious,  will  this  never  come  to  an  end !  "  the 
convoy  officer,  a  tall,  fat,  red-faced  man  with  high  shoulders, 


378  Resurrection 

who  kept  puffing  the  smoke  of  his  cigarette  into  his  thick 
moustache,  asked,  as  he  drew  in  a  long  puff.  "  You  are 
killing  me.  From  where  have  you  got  them  all  ?  Are  there 
many  more?  "  the  clerk  inquired. 

"  Twenty-four  men  and  the  women." 

"What  are  you  standing  there  for?  Come  on,"  shouted 
the  convoy  officer  to  the  prisoners  who  had  not  yet  passed 
the  revision,  and  who  stood  crowded  one  behind  the  other. 
The  prisoners  had  been  standing  there  more  than  three 
hours,  packed  in  rows  in  the  full  sunlight,  waiting  their 
turns. 

While  this  was  going  on  in  the  prison  yard,  outside  the 
gate,  besides  the  sentinel  who  stood  there  as  usual  with  a 
gun,  were  drawn  up  about  20  carts,  to  carry  the  luggage 
of  the  prisoners  and  such  prisoners  as  were  too  weak  to 
walk,  and  a  group  of  relatives  and  friends  waiting  to  see 
the  prisoners  as  they  came  out  and  to  exchange  a  few  words 
if  a  chance  presented  itself  and  to  give  them  a  few  things. 
Nekhludoff  took  his  place  among  the  group.  He  had  stood 
there  about  an  hour  when  the  clanking  of  chains,  the  noise 
of  footsteps,  authoritative  voices,  the  sound  of  coughing, 
and  the  low  murmur  of  a  large  crowd  became  audible. 

This  continued  for  about  five  minutes,  during  which  sev- 
eral jailers  went  in  and  out  of  the  gateway.  At  last  the 
word  of  command  was  given.  The  gate  opened  with  a 
thundering  noise,  the  clattering  of  the  chains  became  louder, 
and  the  convoy  soldiers,  dressed  in  white  blouses  and  carry- 
ing guns,  came  out  into  the  street  and  took  their  places  in 
a  large,  exact  circle  in  front  of  the  gate ;  this  was  evidently 
a  usual,  often-practised  manoeuvre.  Then  another  command 
was  given,  and  the  prisoners  began  coming  out  in  couples, 
with  flat,  pancake-shaped  caps  on  their  shaved  heads  and 
sacks  over  their  shoulders,  dragging  their  chained  legs  and 
swinging  one  arm,  while  the  other  held  up  a  sack. 

First  came  the  men  condemned  to  hard  labour,  all  dressed 
alike  in  grey  trousers  and  cloaks  with  marks  on  the  back. 
All  of  them — young  and  old,  thin  and  fat,  pale  and  red, 
dark  and  bearded  and  beardless,  Russians,  Tartars,  and 
Jews — came  out,  clattering  with  their  chains  and  briskly 
swinging  their  arms  as  if  prepared  to  go  a  long  distance, 
but  stopped  after  having  taken  ten  steps,  and  obediently 
took  their  places  behind  each  other,  four  abreast.  Then 
without  interval  streamed  out  more  shaved  men,  dressed  in 


Resurrection  379 

the  same  manner  but  with  chains  only  on  their  legs.  These 
were  condemned  to  exile.  They  came  out  as  briskly  and 
stopped  as  suddenly,  taking  their  places  four  in  a  row.  Then 
came  those  exiled  by  their  Communes.  Then  the  women 
in  the  same  order,  first  those  condemned  to  hard  lalxxir, 
with  grey  cloaks  and  kerchiefs ;  then  the  exiled  women,  and 
those  following  their  husbands  of  their  own  free  will, 
dressed  in  their  own  town  or  village  clothing.  Some  of  the 
women  were  carrying  babies  wrapped  in  the  fronts  of  their 
grey  cloaks. 

With  the  women  came  the  children,  boys  and  girls,  who, 
like  colts  in  a  herd  of  horses,  pressed  in  among  the  prisoners. 

The  men  took  their  places  silently,  only  coughing  now 
and  then,  or  making  short  remarks. 

The  women  talked  without  intermission.  Nekhludoff 
thought  he  saw  Maslova  as  they  were  coming  out,  but  she 
was  at  once  lost  in  the  large  crowd,  and  he  could  only  see 
grey  creatures,  seemingly  devoid  of  all  that  was  human,  or 
at  any  rate  of  all  that  was  womanly,  with  sacks  on  their 
backs  and  children  round  them,  taking  their  places  behind 
the  men. 

Though  all  the  prisoners  had  been  counted  inside  the 
prison  walls,  the  convoy  counted  them  again,  comparing  the 
numbers  with  the  list.  This  took  very  long,  especially  as 
some  of  the  prisoners  moved  and  changed  places,  which 
confused  the  convoy. 

The  convoy  soldiers  shouted  and  pushed  the  prisoners 
(who  complied  obediently,  but  angrily)  and  counted  them 
over  again.  When  all  had  been  counted,  the  convoy  officer 
gave  a  command,  and  the  crowd  became  agitated.  The 
weak  men  and  women  and  children  rushed,  racing  each 
other,  towards  the  carts,  and  began  placing  their  bags  on 
the  carts  and  climbing  up  themselves.  Women  with  crying 
babies,  merry  children  quarrelling  for  places,  and  dull,  care- 
worn prisoners  got  into  the  carts. 

Several  of  the  prisoners  took  off  their  caps  and  came  up 
to  the  convoy  officer  with  some  request.  Nekhludoff  found 
out  later  that  they  were  asking  for  places  on  the  carts. 
Nekhludoff  saw  how  the  officer,  without  looking  at  the  pris- 
oners, drew  in  a  whiff  from  his  cigarette,  and  then  suddenly 
waved  his  short  arm  in  front  of  one  of  the  prisoners,  who 
quickly  drew  his  shaved  head  back  between  his  shoulders 
as  if  afraid  of  a  blow,  and  sprang  back. 


380  Resurrection 

"  I  will  give  you  a  lift  such  that  you'll  remember.  You'll 
get  there  on  foot  right  enough,"  shouted  the  officer.  Only 
one  of  the  men  was  granted  his  request — an  old  man  with 
chains  on  his  legs ;  and  Nekhludoff  saw  the  old  man  take 
off  his  pancake-shaped  cap,  and  go  up  to  the  cart  crossing 
himself.  He  could  not  manage  to  get  up  on  the  cart  because 
of  the  chains  that  prevented  his  lifting  his  old  legs,  and 
a  woman  who  was  sitting  in  the  cart  at  last  pulled  him  in 
by  the  arm. 

When  all  the  sacks  were  in  the  carts,  and  those  who  were 
allowed  to  get  in  were  seated,  the  officer  took  off  his  cap, 
wiped  his  forehead,  his  bald  head  and  fat,  red  neck,  and 
crossed  himself. 

"  March,"  commanded  the  officer.  The  soldiers'  guns 
gave  a  click ;  the  prisoners  took  off  their  caps  and  crossed 
themselves,  those  who  were  seeing  them  off  shouted  some- 
thing, the  prisoners  shouted  in  answer,  a  row  arose  among 
the  women,  and  the  gang,  surrounded  by  the  soldiers  in 
their  white  blouses,  moved  forward,  raising  the  dust  with 
their  chained  feet.  The  soldiers  went  in  front ;  then  came 
the  convicts  condemned  to  hard  labour,  clattering  with  their 
chains ;  then  the  exiled  and  those  exiled  by  the  Communes, 
chained  in  couples  by  their  wrists ;  then  the  women.  After 
them,  on  the  carts  loaded  with  sacks,  came  the  weak.  High 
up  on  one  of  the  carts  sat  a  woman  closely  wrapped  up, 
and  she  kept  shrieking  and  sobbing. 


Resurrection  381 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

"  NOT  MEN  BUT  STRANGE  AND  TERRIBLE  CREATURES  ?  ' 

The  procession  was  such  a  long  one  that  the  carts  with 
the  luggage  and  the  weak  started  only  when  those  in  front 
were  already  out  of  sight.  When  the  last  of  the  carts  moved, 
Nekhludoff  got  into  the  trap  that  stood  waiting  for  him  and 
told  the  isvostchik  to  catch  up  the  prisoners  in  front,  so  that 
he  could  see  if  he  knew  any  of  the  men  in  the  gang,  and  then 
try  and  find  out  Maslova  among  the  women  and  ask  her  if 
she  had  received  the  things  he  sent. 

It  was  very  hot,  and  a  cloud  of  dust  that  was  raised  by  a 
thousand  tramping  feet  stood  all  the  time  over  the  gang  that 
was  moving  down  the  middle  of  the  street.  The  prisoners 
were  walking  quickly,  and  the  slow-going  isvostchik' s  horse 
was  some  time  in  catching  them  up.  Row  upon  row  they 
passed,  those  strange  and  terrible-looking  creatures,  none  of 
whom  Nekhludoff  knew. 

On  they  went,  all  dressed  alike,  moving  a  thousand  feet  all 
shod  alike,  swinging  their  free  arms  as  if  to  keep  up  their 
spirits.  There  were  so  many  of  them,  they  all  looked  so 
much  alike,  and  they  were  all  placed  in  such  unusual,  pe- 
culiar circumstances,  that  they  seemed  to  Nekhludoff  to  be 
not  men  but  some  sort  of  strange  and  terrible  creatures.  This 
impression  passed  when  he  recognised  in  the  crowd  of  con- 
victs the  murderer  Federoff,  and  among  the  exiles  Okhotin 
the  wit,  and  another  tramp  who  had  appealed  to  him  for  as- 
sistance. Almost  all  the  prisoners  turned  and  looked  at  the 
trap  that  was  passing  them  and  at  the  gentleman  inside. 
Federoff  tossed  his  head  backwards  as  a  sign  that  he  had  rec- 
ognised Nekhludoff,  Okhotin  winked,  but  neither  of  them 
bowed,  considering  it  not  the  thing. 

As  soon  as  Nekhludoff  came  up  to  the  women  he  saw 
Maslova ;  she  was  in  the  second  row.  The  first  in  the  row 
was  a  short-legged,  black-eyed,  hideous  woman,  who  had  her 
cloak  tucked  up  in  her  girdle.    This  was  Koroshavka.     The 


382 


Resurrection 


next  was  a  pregnant  woman,  who  dragged  herself  along  with 
difficulty.  The  third  was  Maslova ;  she  was  carrying  her 
sack  on  her  shoulder,  and  looking  straight  before  her.  Her 
face  looked  calm  and  determined.  The  fourth  in  the  row 
was  a  young,  lovely  woman  who  was  walking  along  briskly, 
dressed  in  a  short  cloak,  her  kerchief  tied  in  peasant  fashion. 
This  was  Theodosia. 

Nekhludoff  got  down  and  approached  the  women,  mean- 
ing to  ask  Maslova  if  she  had  got  the  things  he  had  sent  her, 
and  how  she  was  feeling,  but  the  convoy  sergeant,  who  was 
walking  on  that  side,  noticed  him  at  once,  and  ran  towards 
him. 

'  You  must  not  do  that,  sir.  It  is  against  the  regulations 
to  approach  the  gang,"  shouted  the  sergeant  as  he  came  up. 

But  when  he  recognised  Nekhludoff  (every  one  in  the 
prison  knew  Nekhludoff)  the  sergeant  raised  his  fingers  to 
his  cap,  and,  stopping  in  front  of  Nekhludoff,  said :  "  Not 
now ;  wait  till  we  get  to  the  railway  station ;  here  it  is  not 
allowed.  Don't  lag  behind  ;  march !  "  he  shouted  to  the  con- 
victs, and  putting  on  a  brisk  air,  he  ran  back  to  his  place  at  a 
trot,  in  spite  of  the  heat  and  the  elegant  new  boots  on  his 
feet. 

Nekhludoff  went  on  to  the  pavement  and  told  the  isvost- 
chik  to  follow  him;  himself  walking,  so  as  to  keep  the  con- 
victs in  sight.  Wherever  the  gang  passed  it  attracted  atten- 
tion mixed  with  horror  and  compassion.  Those  who  drove 
past  leaned  out  of  the  vehicles  and  followed  the  prisoners  with 
their  eyes.  Those  on  foot  stopped  and  looked  with  fear  and 
surprise  at  the  terrible  sight.  Some  came  up  and  gave  alms 
to  the  prisoners.  The  alms  were  received  by  the  convoy. 
Some,  as  if  they  were  hypnotised,  followed  the  gang,  but 
then  stopped,  shook  their  heads,  and  followed  the  prisoners 
only  with  their  eyes.  Everywhere  the  people  came  out  of  the 
gates  and  doors,  and  called  others  to  come  out,  too,  or  leaned 
out  of  the  windows  looking,  silent  and  immovable,  at  the 
frightful  procession.  At  a  cross-road  a  fine  carriage  was 
stopped  by  the  gang.  A  fat  coachman,  with  a  shiny  face  and 
two  rows  of  buttons  on  his  back,  sat  on  the  box ;  a  married 
couple  sat  facing  the  horses,  the  wife,  a  pale,  thin  woman, 
with  a  light-coloured  bonnet  on  her  head  and  a  bright  sun- 
shade in  her  hand,  the  husband  with  a  top-hat  and  a  well-cut 
light-coloured  overcoat.  On  the  seat  in  front  sat  their  chil- 
dren— a  well-dressed  little  girl,  with  loose,  fair  hair,  and  as 


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Resurrection  383 

fresh  as  a  flower,  who  also  held  a  bright  parasol,  and  an 
eight-year-old  boy,  with  a  long,  thin  neck  and  sharp  collar- 
bones, a  sailor  hat  with  long  ribbons  on  his  head. 

The  father  was  angrily  scolding  the  coachman  because  he 
had  not  passed  in  front  of  the  gang  when  he  had  a  chance, 
and  the  mother  frowned  and  half  closed  her  eyes  with  a  look 
of  disgust,  shielding  herself  from  the  dust  and  the  sun  with 
her  silk  sunshade,  which  she  held  close  to  her  face. 

The  fat  coachman  frowned  angrily  at  the  unjust  rebukes 
of  his  master — who  had  himself  given  the  order  to  drive 
along  that  street — and  with  difficulty  held  in  the  glossy, 
black  horses,  foaming  under  their  harness  and  impatient  to 
go  on. 

The  policeman  wished  with  all  his  soul  to  please  the 
owner  of  the  fine  equipage  by  stopping  the  gang,  yet  felt 
that  the  dismal  solemnity  of  the  procession  could  not  be 
broken  even  for  so  rich  a  gentleman.  He  only  raised  his 
fingers  to  his  cap  to  show  his  respect  for  riches,  and  looked 
severely  at  the  prisoners  as  if  promising  in  any  case  to  pro- 
tect the  owners  of  the  carriage  from  them.  So  the  carriage 
had  to  wait  till  the  whole  of  the  procession  had  passed,  and 
could  only  move  on  when  the  last  of  the  carts,  laden  with 
sacks  and  prisoners,  rattled  by.  The  hysterical  woman  who 
sat  on  one  of  the  carts,  and  had  grown  calm,  again  began 
shrieking  and  sobbing  when  she  saw  the  elegant  carriage. 
Then  the  coachman  tightened  the  reins  with  a  slight  touch, 
and  the  black-  trotters,  their  shoes  ringing  against  the  pav- 
ing stones,  drew  the  carriage,  softly  swaying  on  its  rubber 
tires,  towards  the  country  house  where  the  husband,  the 
wife,  the  girl,  and  the  boy  with  the  sharp  collar-bones  were 
going  to  amuse  themselves.  Neither  the  father  nor  the 
mother  gave  the  girl  and  boy  any  explanation  of  what  they 
had  seen,  so  that  the  children  had  themselves  to  find  out  the 
meaning  of  this  curious  sight.  The  girl,  taking  the  expres- 
sion of  her  father's  and  mother's  faces  into  consideration, 
solved  the  problem  by  assuming  that  these  people  were  quite 
another  kind  of  men  and  women  than  her  father  and  mother 
and  their  acquaintances,  that  they  were  bad  people,  and  that 
they  had  therefore  to  be  treated  in  the  manner  they  were  be- 
ing treated. 

Therefore  the  girl  felt  nothing  but  fear,  and  was  glad 
when  she  could  no  longer  see  those  people. 

But  the  bov  with  the  long,  thin  neck,  who  looked  at  the 


3§4 


Resurrection 


procession  of  prisoners  without  taking  his  eyes  off  them, 
solved  the  question  differently. 

He  still  knew,  firmly  and  without  any  doubt,  for  he  had  it 
from  God,  that  these  people  were  just  the  same  kind  of  peo- 
ple as  he  was,  and  like  all  other  people,  and  therefore  some 
one  had  done  these  people  some  wrong,  something  that  ought 
not  to  have  been  done,  and  he  was  sorry  for  them,  and  felt 
no  horror  either  of  those  who  were  shaved  and  chained  or 
of  those  who  had  shaved  and  chained  them.  And  so  the 
boy's  lips  pouted  more  and  more,  and  he  made  greater  and 
greater  efforts  not  to  cry,  thinking  it  a  shame  to  cry  in  such 
a  case. 


Resurrection  385 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

THE  TENDER   MERCIES  OF  THE  LORD. 

Nekhludoff  kept  up  with  the  quick  pace  of  the  convicts. 
Though  lightly  clothed  he  felt  dreadfully  hot,  and  it  was 
hard  to  breathe  in  the  stifling,  motionless,  burning  air  filled 
with  dust. 

When  he  had  walked  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  he  again 
got  into  the  trap,  but  it  felt  still  hotter  in  the  middle  of  the 
street.  He  tried  to  recall  last  night's  conversation  with  his 
brother-in-law,  but  the  recollections  no  longer  excited  him 
as  they  had  done  in  the  morning.  They  were  dulled  by  the 
impressions  made  by  the  starting  and  procession  of  the  gang, 
and  chiefly  by  the  intolerable  heat. 

On  the  pavement,  in  the  shade  of  some  trees  overhanging 
a  fence,  he  saw  two  schoolboys  standing  over  a  kneeling  man 
who  sold  ices.  One  of  the  boys  was  already  sucking  a  pink 
spoon  and  enjoying  his  ices,  the  other  was  waiting  for  a 
glass  that  was  being  filled  with  something  yellowish. 

"  Where  could  I  get  a  drink  ?  "'  Nekhludoff  asked  his  is- 
vostchik,  feeling  an  insurmountable  desire  for  some  refresh- 
ment. 

"  There  is  a  good  eating-house  close  by,"  the  isvostchik 
answered,  and  turning  a  corner,  drove  up  to  a  door  with  a 
large  signboard.  The  plump  clerk  in  a  Russian  shirt,  who 
stood  behind  the  counter,  and  the  waiters  in  their  once  white 
clothing  who  sat  at  the  tables  (there  being  hardly  any  cus- 
tomers) looked  with  curiosity  at  the  unusual  visitor  and 
offered  him  their  services.  Nekhludoff  asked  for  a  bottle  of 
seltzer  water  and  sat  down  some  way  from  the  window  at  a 
small  table  covered  with  a  dirty  cloth.  Two  men  sat  at  an- 
other table  with  tea-things  and  a  white  bottle  in  front  of 
them,  mopping  their  foreheads,  and  calculating  something 
in  a  friendly  manner.  One  of  them  was  dark  and  bald,  and 
had  just  such  a  border  of  hair  at  the  back  as  Rogozhinsky. 
This  sight  again  reminded  Nekhludoff  of  yesterday's  talk 
with  his  brother-in-law  and  his  wish  to  see  him  and 
Nathalie. 


386  Resurrection 

"  I  shall  hardly  be  able  to  do  it  before  the  train  starts,"  he 
thought;  "I'd  better  write."  He  asked  for  paper,  an  en- 
velope, and  a  stamp,  and  as  he  was  sipping  the  cool,  efferves- 
cent water  he  considered  what  he  should  say.  But  his 
thoughts  wandered,  and  he  could  not  manage  to  compose  a 
letter. 

"  My  dear  Nathalie, — I  cannot  go  away  with  the  heavy 
impression  that  yesterday's  talk  with  your  husband  has  left," 
he  began.  '  What  next  ?  Shall  I  ask  him  to  forgive  me 
what  I  said  yesterday?  But  I  only  said  what  I  felt,  and  he 
will  think  that  I  am  taking  it  back.  Besides,  this  interference 
of  his  in  my  private  matters.  .  .  .  No,  I  cannot,"  and  again 
he  felt  hatred  rising  in  his  heart  towards  that  man  so  foreign 
to  him.  He  folded  the  unfinished  letter  and  put  it  in  his 
pocket,  paid,  went  out,  and  again  got  into  the  trap  to  catch  up 
the  gang.  It  had  grown  still  hotter.  The  stones  and 
the  walls  seemed  to  be  breathing  out  hot  air.  The  pavement 
seemed  to  scorch  the  feet,  and  Nekhludoff  felt  a  burning  sen- 
sation in  his  hand  when  he  touched  the  lacquered  splash- 
guard  of  his  trap. 

The  horse  was  jogging  along  at  a  weary  trot,  beating  the 
uneven,  dusty  road  monotonously  with  its  hoofs,  the  isvost- 
chik  kept  falling  into  a  doze,  Nekhludoff  sat  without  think- 
ing of  anything. 

At  the  bottom  of  a  street,  in  front  of  a  large  house,  a 
group  of  people  had  collected,  and  a  convoy  soldier  stood  by. 

'  What  has  happened  ?  "  Nekhludoff  asked  of  a  porter. 

"  Something  the  matter  with  a  convict." 

Nekhludoff  got  down  and  came  up  to  the  group.  On  the 
rough  stones,  where  the  pavement  slanted  down  to  the  gut- 
ter, lay  a  broadly-built,  red-bearded,  elderly  convict,  with  his 
head  lower  than  his  feet,  and  very  red  in  the  face.  He  had  a 
grey  cloak  and  grey  trousers  on,  and  lay  on  his  back  with  the 
palms  of  his  freckled  hands  downwards,  and  at  long  inter- 
vals his  broad,  high  chest  heaved,  and  he  groaned,  while  his 
bloodshot  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  sky.  By  him  stood  a  cross- 
looking  policeman,  a  pedlar,  a  postman,  a  clerk,  an  old 
woman  with  a  parasol,  and  a  short-haired  boy  with  an  empty 
basket. 

"  They  are  weak.  Having  been  locked  up  in  prison  they've 
got  weak,  and  then  they  lead  them  through  the  most  broil- 
ing heat,"  said  the  clerk,  addressing  Nekhludoff,  who  had 
just  come  up. 


Resurrection  387 

"  He'll  die,  most  likely,"  said  the  woman  with  the  parasol, 
in  a  doleful  tone. 

"  His  shirt  should  be  untied,"  said  the  postman. 

The  policeman  began,  with  his  thick,  trembling  fingers, 
clumsily  to  untie  the  tapes  that  fastened  the  shirt  round  the 
red,  sinewy  neck.  He  was  evidently  excited  and  confused, 
but  still  thought  it  necessary  to  address  the  crowd. 

"  What  have  you  collected  here  for  ?  It  is  hot  enough 
without  your  keeping  the  wind  off." 

"  They  should  have  been  examined  by  a  doctor,  and  the 
weak  ones  left  behind,"  said  the  clerk,  showing  off  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  law. 

The  policeman,  having  undone  the  tapes  of  the  shirt,  rose 
and  looked  round. 

"Move  on,  I  tell  you.  It  is  not  your  business,  is  it? 
What's  there  to  stare  at  ?  "  he  said,  and  turned  to  Nekhludoff 
for  sympathy,  but  not  finding  any  in  his  face  he  turned  to 
the  convoy  soldier. 

But  the  soldier  stood  aside,  examining  the  trodden-down 
heel  of  his  boot,  and  was  quite  indifferent  to  the  policeman's 
perplexity. 

"  Those  whose  business  it  is  don't  care.  Is  it  right  to 
do  men  to  death  like  this?  A  convict  is  a  convict,  but  still 
he  is  a  man,"  different  voices  were  heard  saying  in  the 
crowd. 

"  Put  his  head  up  higher,  and  give  him  some  water,"  said 
Nekhludoff. 

"  Water  has  been  sent  for,"  said  the  policeman,  and  taking 
the  prisoner  under  the  arms  he  with  difficulty  pulled  his 
body  a  little  higher  up. 

"What's  this  gathering  here?"  said  a  decided,  authori- 
tative voice,  and  a  police  officer,  with  a  wonderfully  clean, 
shiny  blouse,  and  still  more  shiny  top-boots,  came  up  to  the 
assembled  crowd. 

"  Move  on.  No  standing  about  here,"  he  shouted  to  the 
crowd,  before  he  knew  what  had  attracted  it. 

When  he  came  near  and  saw  the  dying  convict,  he  made 
a  sign  of  approval  with  his  head,  just  as  if  he  had  quite 
expected  it,  and,  turning  to  the  policeman,  said,  "  How  is 
this?" 

The  policeman  said  that,  as  a  gang  of  prisoners  was  pass- 
ing, one  of  the  convicts  had  fallen  down,  and  the  convoy 
officer  had  ordered  him  to  be  left  behind. 


388  Resurrection 

'Well,  that's  all  right.  He  must  be  taken  to  the  police 
station.    Call  an  isvostchik/' 

"  A  porter  has  gone  for  one,"  said  the  policeman,  with 
his  fingers  raised  to  his  cap. 

The  shopman  began  something  about  the  heat. 

''Is  it  your  business,  eh?  Move  on,"  said  the  police 
officer,  and  looked  so  severely  at  him  that  the  clerk  was 
silenced. 

"  He  ought  to  have  a  little  water,"  said  Nekhludoff.  The 
police  officer  looked  severely  at  Nekhludoff  also,  but  said 
nothing.  When  the  porter  brought  a  mug  full  of  water,  he 
told  the  policeman  to  offer  some  to  the  convict.  The  police- 
man raised  the  drooping  head,  and  tried  to  pour  a  little 
water  down  the  mouth ;  but  the  prisoner  could  not  swallow 
it,  and  it  ran  down  his  beard,  wetting  his  jacket  and  his 
coarse,  dirty  linen  shirt. 

"  Pour  it  on  his  head,"  ordered  the  officer ;  and  the  police- 
man took  off  the  pancake-shaped  cap  and  poured  the  water 
over  the  red  curls  and  bald  part  of  the  prisoner's  head.  His 
eyes  opened  wide  as  if  in  fear,  but  his  position  remained 
unchanged. 

Streams  of  dirt  trickled  down  his  dusty  face,  but  the 
mouth  continued  to  gasp  in  the  same  regular  way,  and  his 
whole  body  shook. 

"  And  what's  this?  Take  this  one,"  said  the  police  officer, 
pointing  to  Nekhludoff's  isvostchik.  "  You,  there,  drive 
up." 

'  I  am  engaged,"  said  the  isvostchik,  dismally,  and  with- 
out looking  up. 

"  It  is  my  isvostchik;  but  take  him.  I  will  pay  you,"  said 
Nekhludoff,  turning  to  the  isvostchik. 

'Well,  what  are  you  waiting  for?"  shouted  the  officer. 
"  Catch  hold." 

The  policeman,  the  porter,  and  the  convoy  soldier  lifted 
the  dying  man  and  carried  him  to  the  trap,  and  put  him  on 
the  seat.  But  he  could  not  sit  up;  his  head  fell  back,  and 
the  whole  of  his  body  glided  off  the  seat. 

"  Make  him  lie  down,"  ordered  the  officer. 

"  It's  all  right,  your  honour ;  I'll  manage  him  like  this," 
said  the  policeman,  sitting  down  by  the  dying  man,  and 
clasping  his  strong,  right  arm  round  the  body  under  the 
arms.  The  convoy  soldier  lifted  the  stockingless  feet,  in 
prison  shoes,  and  put  them  into  the  trap. 


Resurrection  389 

The  police  officer  looked  around,  and  noticing  the  pan- 
cake-shaped hat  of  the  convict  lifted  it  up  and  put  it  on  the 
wet,  drooping  head. 

"  Go  on,"  he  ordered. 

The  isvostchik  looked  angrily  round,  shook  his  head,  and, 
accompanied  by  the  convoy  soldier,  drove  back  to  the  police 
station.  The  policeman,  sitting  beside  the  convict,  kept 
dragging  up  the  body  that  was  continually  sliding  down 
from  the  seat,  while  the  head  swung  from  side  to  side. 

The  convoy  soldier,  who  was  walking  by  the  side  of  the 
trap,  kept  putting  the  legs  in  their  place.  Nekhludoff  fol- 
lowed the  trap. 


39°  Resurrection 


CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

"  SPILLED    LIKE    WATER    ON    THE    GROUND." 

The  trap  passed  the  fireman  who  stood  sentinel  at  the 
entrance,*  drove  into  the  yard  of  the  police  station,  and 
stopped  at  one  of  the  doors.  In  the  yard  several  firemen 
with  their  sleeves  tucked  up  were  washing  some  kind  of  cart 
and  talking  loudly.  When  the  trap  stopped,  several  police- 
men surrounded  it,  and  taking  the  lifeless  body  of  the 
convict  under  the  arms,  took  him  out  of  the  trap,  which 
creaked  under  him.  The  policeman  who  had  brought  the 
body  got  down,  shook  his  numbed  arm,  took  off  his  cap, 
and  crossed  himself.  The  body  was  carried  through  the 
door  and  up  the  stairs.  Nekhludofr  followed.  In  the  small, 
dirty  room  where  the  body  was  taken  there  stood  four  beds. 
On  two  of  them  sat  a  couple  of  sick  men  in  dressing-gowns, 
one  with  a  crooked  mouth,  whose  neck  was  bandaged,  the 
other  one  in  consumption.  Two  of  the  beds  were  empty; 
the  convict  was  laid  on  one  of  them.  A  little  man,  with 
glistening  eyes  and  continually  moving  brows,  with  only  his 
underclothes  and  stockings  on,  came  up  with  quick,  soft 
steps,  looked  at  the  convict  and  then  at  Nekhludofr",  and 
burst  into  loud  laughter.  This  was  a  madman  who  was 
being  kept  in  the  police  hospital. 

'  They  wish  to  frighten  me,  but  no,  they  won't  succeed," 
he  said. 

The  policemen  who  carried  the  corpse  were  followed  by 
a  police  officer  and  a  medical  assistant.  The  medical  assist- 
ant came  up  to  the  body  and  touched  the  freckled  hand, 
already  growing  cold,  which,  though  still  soft,  was  deadly 
pale.  He  held  it  for  a  moment,  and  then  let  it  go.  It  fell 
lifelessly  on  the  stomach  of  the  dead  man. 

'  He's  ready,"  said  the  medical  assistant,  but,  evidently  to 
be  quite  in  order,  he  undid  the  wet,  brown  shirt,  and  tossing 
back  the  curls  from  his  ear,  put  it  to  the  yellowish,  broad, 

*  The  headquarters  of  the  fire  brigade  and  the  police  stations  are 
generally  together  in  Moscow. 


Resurrection  391 

immovable  chest  of  the  convict.  All  were  silent.  The 
medical  assistant  raised  himself  again,  shook  his  head,  and 
touched  with  his  fingers  first  one  and  then  the  other  lid 
over  the  open,  fixed  blue  eyes. 

"  I'm  not  frightened,  I'm  not  frightened."  The  madman 
kept  repeating  these  words,  and  spitting  in  the  direction  of 
the  medical  assistant. 

"  Well  ?  "  asked  the  police  officer. 

"  Well !    He  must  be  put  into  the  mortuary." 

"Are  you  sure?    Mind,"  said  the  police  officer. 

"  It's  time  I  should  know,"  said  the  medical  assistant, 
drawing  the  shirt  over  the  body's  chest.  '  However,  I  will 
send  for  Mathew  Ivanovitch.  Let  him  have  a  look.  Petrov, 
call  him,"  and  the  medical  assistant  stepped  away  from  the 
body. 

"  Take  him  to  the  mortuary,"  said  the  police  officer. 
"  And  then  you  must  come  into  the  office  and  sign,"  he 
added  to  the  convoy  soldier,  who  had  not  left  the  convict 
for  a  moment. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  the  soldier. 

The  policemen  lifted  the  body  and  carried  it  down  again. 
Nekhludoff  wished  to  follow,  but  the  madman  kept  him 
back. 

"  You  are  not  in  the  plot !  Well,  then,  give  me  a  cigar- 
ette," he  said.  Nekhludoff  got  out  his  cigarette  case  and 
gave  him  one. 

The  madman,  quickly  moving  his  brows  all  the  time, 
began  relating  how  they  tormented  him  by  thought  sugges- 
tion. 

"  Why,  they  are  all  against  me,  and  torment  and  torture 
me  through  their  mediums." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Nekhludoff,  and  without  listen- 
ing any  further  he  left  the  room  and  went  out  into  the  yard, 
wishing  to  know  where  the  body  would  be  put. 

The  policemen  with  their  burden  had  already  crossed  the 
yard,  and  were  coming  to  the  door  of  a  cellar.  Nekhludoff 
wished  to  go  up  to  them,  but  the  police  officer  stopped  him. 

"What  do  you  want?" 

"  Nothing." 

"  Nothing?    Then  go  away." 

Nekhludoff  obeyed,  and  went  back  to  his  isvostchik,  who 
was  dozing.  He  awoke  him,  and  they  drove  back  towards 
the  railway  station. 


392 


Resurrection 


They  had  not  made  a  hundred  steps  when  they  met  a 
cart  accompanied  by  a  convoy  soldier  with  a  gun.  On  the 
cart  lay  another  convict,  who  was  already  dead.  The  con- 
vict lay  on  his  back  in  the  cart,  his  shaved  head,  from  which 
the  pancake-shaped  cap  had  slid  over  the  black-bearded 
face  down  to  the  nose,  shaking  and  thumping  at  every  jolt. 
The  driver,  in  his  heavy  boots,  walked  by  the  side  of  the 
cart,  holding  the  reins ;  a  policeman  followed  on  foot. 
Nekhludoff  touched  his  isvostchik's  shoulder. 

"Just  look  what  they  are  doing,"  said  the  isvostchik, 
stopping  his  horse. 

Nekhludoff  got  down  and,  following  the  cart»  again 
passed  the  sentinel  and  entered  the  gate  of  the  police  station. 
By  this  time  the  firemen  had  finished  washing  the  cart,  and 
a  tall,  bony  man,  the  chief  of  the  fire  brigade,  with  a  coloured 
band  round  his  cap,  stood  in  their  place,  and,  with  his  hands 
in  his  pockets,  was  severely  looking  at  a  fat-necked,  well- 
fed,  bay  stallion  that  was  being  led  up  and  down  before  him 
by  a  fireman.  The  stallion  was  lame  on  one  of  his  fore  feet, 
and  the  chief  of  the  firemen  was  angrily  saying  something 
to  a  veterinary  who  stood  by. 

The  police  officer  was  also  present.  When  he  saw  the 
cart  he  went  up  to  the  convoy  soldier. 

"  Where  did  you  bring  him  from?  "  he  asked,  shaking  his 
head  disapprovingly. 

"  From  the  Gorbatovskaya,"  answered  the  policeman. 

"  A  prisoner?-"  asked  the  chief  of  the  fire  brigade. 

"  Yes.    It's  the  second  to-day." 

"  Well,  I  must  say  they've  got  some  queer  arrangements. 
Though  of  course  it's  a  broiling  day,"  said  the  chief  of  the 
fire  brigade;  then,  turning  to  the  fireman  who  was  leading 
the  lame  stallion,  he  shouted :  "  Put  him  into  the  corner 
stall.  And  as  to  you,  you  hound,  I'll  teach  you  how  to  cripple 
horses  which  are  worth  more  than  you  are,  you  scoundrel." 

The  dead  man  was  taken  from  the  cart  by  the  policemen 
just  in  the  same  way  as  the  first  had  been,  and  carried  up- 
stairs into  the  hospital.  Nekhludoff  followed  them  as  if 
he  were  hypnotised. 

"  What  do  you  want?  "  asked  one  of  the  policemen.  But 
Nekhludoff  did  not  answer,  and  followed  where  the  body 
was  being  carried.  The  madman,  sitting  on  a  bed,  was 
smoking  greedily  the  cigarette  Nekhludoff  had  given  him. 

"  AfC  you've  come  back,"  he  said,  and  laughed.     When 


Resurrection  393 

he  saw  the  body  he  made  a  face,  and  said,  "  Again !  I  am 
sick  of  it.  I  am  not  a  boy,  am  I,  eh?  "  and  he  turned  to 
Nekhludoff  with  a  questioning  smile. 

Nekhludoff  was  looking  at  the  dead  man,  whose  face, 
which  had  been  hidden  by  his  cap,  was  now  visible.  This 
convict  was  as  handsome  in  face  and  body  as  the  other  was 
hideous.  He  was  a  man  in  the  full  bloom  of  life.  Notwith- 
standing that  he  was  disfigured  by  the  half  of  his  head  being 
shaved,  the  straight,  rather  low  forehead,  raised  a  bit  over 
the  black,  lifeless  eyes,  was  very  fine,  and  so  was  the  nose 
above  the  thin,  black  moustaches.  There  was  a  smile  on  the 
lips  that  were  already  growing  blue,  a  small  beard  outlined 
the  lower  part  of  the  face,  and  on  the  shaved  side  of"  the 
head  a  firm,  well-shaped  ear  was  visible. 

One  could  see  what  possibilities  of  a  higher  life  had  been 
destroyed  in  this  man.  The  fine  bones  of  his  hands  and 
shackled  feet,  the  strong  muscles  of  all  his  well-proportioned 
limbs,  showed  what  a  beautiful,  strong,  agile  human  animal 
this  had  been.  As  an  animal  merely  he  had  been  a  far  more 
perfect  one  of  his  kind  than  the  bay  stallion,  about  the 
laming  of  which  the  fireman  was  so  angry. 

Yet  he  had  been  done  to  death,  and  no  one  was  sorry  for 
him  as  a  man,  nor  was  any  one  sorry  that  so  fine  a  working 
animal  had  perished.  The  only  feeling  evinced  was  that  of 
annoyance  because  of  the  bother  caused  by  the  necessity  of 
getting  this  body,  threatening  putrefaction,  out  of  the  way. 
The  doctor  and  his  assistant  entered  the  hospital,  accom- 
panied by  the  inspector  of  the  police  station.  The  doctor 
was  a  thick-set  man,  dressed  in  pongee  silk  coat  and  trousers 
of  the  same  material,  closely  fitting  his  muscular  thighs. 
The  inspector  was  a  little  fat  fellow,  with  a  red  face,  round 
as  a  ball,  which  he  made  still  broader  by  a  habit  he  had  of 
filling  his  cheeks  with  air,  and  slowly  letting  it  out  again. 
The  doctor  sat  down  on  the  bed  by  the  side  of  the  dead 
man,  and  touched  the  hands  in  the  same  way  as  his  assistant 
had  done,  put  his  ear  to  the  heart,  rose,  and  pulled  his 
trousers  straight.     "  Could  not  be  more  dead,"  he  said. 

The  inspector  filled  his  mouth  with  air  and  slowly  blew 
it  out  again. 

"  Which  prison  is  he  from  ?  "  he  asked  the  convoy  soldier. 

The  soldier  told  him,  and  reminded  him  of  the  chains  on 
the  dead  man's  feet. 

"  I'll  have  them  taken  off;  we  have  got  a  smith  about,  the 


394  Resurrection 

Lord  be  thanked,"  said  the  inspector,  and  blew  up  his 
cheeks  again ;  he  went  towards  the  door,  slowly  letting  out 
the  air. 

'Why    has    this    happened?"    Nekhludoff    asked    the 
doctor. 

The  doctor  looked  at  him  through  his  spectacles. 
'  Why  has  what  happened  ?  Why  they  die  of  sunstroke, 
you  mean?  This  is  why:  They  sit  all  through  the  winter 
without  exercise  and  without  light,  and  suddenly  they  are 
taken  out  into  the  sunshine,  and  on  a  day  like  this,  and  they 
march  in  a  crowd  so  that  they  get  no  air,  and  sunstroke  is 
the  result." 

rt  Then  why  are  they  sent  out  ?  " 

"  Oh,  as  to  that,  go  and  ask  those  who  send  them.  But 
may  I  ask  who  are  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  a  stranger." 

"  Ah,  well,  good-afternoon ;  I  have  no  time."  The  doctor 
was  vexed ;  he  gave  his  trousers  a  downward  pull,  and  went 
towards  the  beds  of  the  sick. 

"  Well,  how  are  you  getting  on  ? "  he  asked  the  pale  man 
with  the  crooked  mouth  and  bandaged  neck. 

Meanwhile  the  madman  sat  on  a  bed,  and  having  finished 
his  cigarette,  kept  spitting  in  the  direction  of  the  doctor. 

Nekhludoff  went  down  into  the  yard  and  out  of  the  gate 
past  the  firemen's  horses  and  the  hens  and  the  sentinel  in 
his  brass  helmet,  and  got  into  the  trap,  the  driver  of  which 
had  again  fallen  asleep. 


Resurrection  395 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

THE  CONVICT  TRAIN. 

When  Nekhludoff  came  to  the  station,  the  prisoners 
were  all  seated  in  railway  carriages  with  grated  windows. 
Several  persons,  come  to  see  them  off,  stood  on  the  plat- 
form, but  were  not  allowed  to  come  up  to  the  carriages. 

The  convoy  was  much  troubled  that  day.  On  the  way 
from  the  prison  to  the  station,  besides  the  two  Nekhludoff 
had  seen,  three  other  prisoners  had  fallen  and  died  of  sun- 
stroke. One  was  taken  to  the  nearest  police  station  like 
the  first  two,  and  the  other  two  died  at  the  railway  station.* 
The  convoy  men  were  not  troubled  because  five  men  who 
might  have  been  alive  died  while  in  their  charge.  This  did 
not  trouble  them,  but  they  were  concerned  lest  anything 
that  the  law  required  in  such  cases  should  be  omitted.  To 
convey  the  bodies  to  the  places  appointed,  to  deliver  up 
their  papers,  to  take  them  off  the  lists  of  those  to  be  con- 
veyed to  Nijni — all  this  was  very  troublesome,  especially  on 
so  hot  a  day. 

It  was  this  that  occupied  the  convoy  men,  and  before  it 
could  all  be  accomplished  Nekhludoff  and  the  others  who 
asked  for  leave  to  go  up  to  the  carriages  were  not  allowed 
to  do  so.  Nekhludoff,  however,  was  soon  allowed  to  go  up, 
because  he  tipped  the  convoy  sergeant.  The  sergeant  let 
Nekhludoff  pass,  but  asked  him  to  be  quick  and  get  his  talk 
over  before  any  of  the  authorities  noticed.  There  were  18 
carriages  in  all,  and  except  one  carriage  for  the  officials, 
they  were  full  of  prisoners.  As  Nekhludoff  passed  the  car- 
riages he  listened  to  what  was  going  on  in  them.  In  all 
the  carriages  was  heard  the  clanging  of  chains,  the  sound 
of  bustle,  mixed  with  loud  and  senseless  language,  but  not  a 
word  was  being  said  about  their  dead  fellow-prisoners.  The 
talk  was  all  about  sacks,  drinking  water,  and  the  choice  of 
seats. 

*  In  Moscow,  in  the  beginning  of  the  eighth  decade  of  this  cen- 
tury, five  convicts  died  of  sunstroke  in  one  day  on  their  way  from 
the  Boutyrki  prison  to  the  Nijni  railway  station. 


396  Resurrection 

Looking  into  one  of  the  carriages,  Nekhludoff  saw  con- 
voy soldiers  taking  the  manacles  off  the  hands  of  the  pris- 
oners. The  prisoners  held  out  their  arms,  and  one  of  the 
soldiers  unlocked  the  manacles  with  a  key  and  took  them 
off;  the  other  collected  them. 

After  he  had  passed  all  the  other  carriages,  Nekhludoff 
came  up  to  the  women's  carriages.  From  the  second  of 
these  he  heard  a  woman's  groans :  "  Oh,  oh,  oh !  O  God ! 
Oh,  oh  !  O  God !  " 

Nekhludoff  passed  this  carriage  and  went  up  to  a  window 
of  the  third  carriage,  which  a  soldier  pointed  out  to  him. 
When  he  approached  his  face  to  the  window,  he  felt  the 
hot  air,  filled  with  the  smell  of  perspiration,  coming  out  of 
it,  and  heard  distinctly  the  shrill  sound  of  women's  voices. 
All  the  seats  were  filled  with  red,  perspiring,  loudly-talking 
women,  dressed  in  prison  cloaks  and  white  jackets.  Nekh- 
ludoff's  face  at  the  window  attracted  their  attention.  Those 
nearest  ceased  talking  and  drew  closer.  Maslova,  in  her 
white  jacket  and  her  head  uncovered,  sat  by  the  opposite 
window.  The  white-skinned,  smiling  Theodosia  sat  a  little 
nearer.  When  she  recognised  Nekhludoff,  she  nudged 
Maslova  and  pointed  to  the  window.  Maslova  rose  hur- 
riedly, threw  her  kerchief  over  her  black  hair,  and  with  a 
smile  on  her  hot,  red  face  came  up  to  the  window  and  took 
hold  of  one  of  the  bars. 

"  Well,  it  is  hot,"  she  said,  with  a  glad  smile. 

"  Did  you  get  the  things  ?  " 

"  Yes,  thank  you." 

"  Is  there  anything  more  you  want  ?  "  asked  Nekhludoff, 
while  the  air  came  out  of  the  hot  carriage  as  out  of  an  oven. 

"  I  want  nothing,  thank  you." 

"  If  we  could  get  a  drink?  "  said  Theodosia. 

"  Yes,  if  we  could  get  a  drink,"  repeated  Maslova. 

"  Why,  have  you  not  got  any  water  ?  " 

"  They  put  some  in,  but  it  is  all  gone." 

"  Directly,  I  will  ask  one  of  the  convoy  men.  Now  we 
shall  not  see  each  other  till  we  get  to  Nijni." 

"Why?  Are  you  going?"  said  Maslova,  as  if  she  did 
not  know  it,  and  looked  joyfully  at  Nekhludoff. 

"  I  am  going  by  the  next  train." 

Maslova  said  nothing,  but  only  sighed  deeply. 

"  Is  it  true,  sir,  that  12    convicts    have    been    done    to 


Resurrection  397 

death  ?  "  said  a  severe-looking  old  prisoner  with  a  deep 
voice  like  a  man's. 

It  was  Korableva. 

"  I  did  not  hear  of  12 ;  I  have  seen  two,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

"  They  say  there  were  12  they  killed.  And  will  nothing 
be  done  to  them?    Only  think  !    The  fiends  !  " 

"  And  have  none  of  the  women  fallen  ill  ?  "  Nekhludoff 
asked. 

"  Women  are  stronger,"  said  another  of  the  prisoners — 
a  short  little  woman,  and  laughed ;  "  only  there's  one  that 
has  taken  it  into  her  head  to  be  delivered.  There  she  goes," 
she  said,  pointing  to  the  next  carriage,  whence  proceeded 
the  groans. 

"  You  ask  if  we  want  anything,"  said  Maslova,  trying  to 
keep  the  smile  of  joy  from  her  lips  ;  "  could  not  this  woman 
be  left  behind,  suffering  as  she  is  ?  There,  now,  if  you  would 
tell  the  authorities." 

"  Yes,  I  will." 

"  And  one  thing  more ;  could  she  not  see  her  husband, 
Taras  ?  "  she  added,  pointing  with  her  eyes  to  the  smiling 
Theodosia. 

"  He  is  going  with  you,  is  he  not?  " 

"  Sir,  you  must  not  talk,"  said  a  convoy  sergeant,  not  the 
one  who  had  let. Nekhludoff  come  up.  Nekhludoff  left  the 
carriage  and  went  in  search  of  an  official  to  whom  he  might 
speak  for  the  woman  in  travail  and  about  Taras,  but  could 
not  find  him,  nor  get  an  answer  from  any  of  the  convoy  for 
a  long  time.  They  were  all  in  a  bustle  ;  some  were  leading  a 
prisoner  somewhere  or  other,  others  running  to  get  them- 
selves provisions,  some  were  placing  their  things  in  the  car- 
riages or  attending  on  a  lady  who  was  going  to  accompany 
the  convoy  officer,  and  they  answered  Nekhludoff's  ques- 
tions unwillingly.  Nekhludoff  found  the  convoy  officer 
only  after  the  second  bell  had  been  rung.  The  officer  with 
his  short  arm  was  wiping  the  moustaches  that  covered  his 
mouth  and  shrugging  his  shoulders,  reproving  the  corporal 
for  something  or  other. 

"  What  is  it  you  want?  "  he  asked  Nekhludoff. 

"  You've  got  a  woman  there  who  is  being  confined,  so  I 
thought  best " 

"  Well,  let  her  be  confined ;  we  shall  see  later  on,"  and 
briskly  swinging  his  short  arms,  he  ran  up  to  his  carriage. 
At  the  moment  the  guard  passed  with  a  whistle  in  his  hand, 


398 


Resurrection 


and  from  the  people  on  the  platform  and  from  the  women's 
carriages  there  arose  a  sound  of  weeping  and  words  of 
prayer. 

Nekhludoff  stood  on  the  platform  by  the  side  of  Taras, 
and  looked  how,  one  after  the  other,  the  carriages  glided 
past  him,  with  the  shaved  heads  of  the  men  at  the  grated 
windows.  Then  the  first  of  the  women's  carriages  came  up, 
with  women's  heads  at  the  windows,  some  covered  with  ker- 
chiefs and  some  uncovered,  then  the  second,  whence  pro- 
ceeded the  same  groans,  then  the  carriage  where  Maslova 
was.  She  stood  with  the  others  at  the  window,  and  looked 
at  Nekhludoff  with  a  pathetic  smile. 


Resurrection  399 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

BROTHER  AND  SISTER. 

There  were  still  two  hours  before  the  passenger  train  by 
which  Nekhhidoff  was  going  would  start.  He  had  thought 
of  using  this  interval  to  see  his  sister  again ;  but  after  the 
impressions  of  the  morning  he  felt  much  excited  and  so 
done  up  that,  sitting  down  on  a  sofa  in  the  first-class  re- 
freshment-room, he  suddenly  grew  so  drowsy  that  he  turned 
over  on  to  his  side,  and,  laying  his  face  on  his  hand,  fell 
asleep  at  once.  A  waiter  in  a  dress  coat  with  a  napkin  in  his 
hand  woke  him. 

"  Sir,  sir,  are  you  not  Prince  Nekhludoff?  There's  a  lady 
looking  for  you." 

Nekhludoff  started  up  and  recollected  where  he  was  and 
all  that  had  happened  in  the  morning. 

He  saw  in  his  imagination  the  procession  of  prisoners, 
the  dead  bodies,  the  railway  carriages  with  barred  windows, 
and  the  women  locked  up  in  them,  one  of  whom  was  groan- 
ing in  travail  with  no  one  to  help  her,  and  another  who  was 
pathetically  smiling  at  him  through  the  bars. 

The  reality  before  his  eyes  was  very  different,  i.e.,  a  table 
with  vases,  candlesticks  and  crockery,  and  agile  waiters 
moving  round  the  table,  and  in  the  background  a  cupboard 
and  a  counter  laden  with  fruit  and  bottles,  behind  it  a  bar- 
man, and  in  front  the  backs  of  passengers  who  had  come  up 
for  refreshments.  When  Nekhludoff  had  risen  and  sat 
gradually  collecting  his  thoughts,  he  noticed  that  everybody 
in  the  room  was  inquisitively  looking  at  something  that  was 
passing  by  the  open  doors. 

He  also  looked,  and  saw  a  group  of  people  carrying  a 
chair  on  which  sat  a  lady  whose  head  was  wrapped  in  a 
kind  of  airy  fabric. 

Nekhludoff  thought  he  knew  the  footman  who  was  sup- 
porting the  chair  in  front.  And  also  the  man  behind,  and  a 
doorkeeper  with  gold  cord  on  his  cap,  seemed  familiar.  A 
lady's  maid  with  a  fringe  and  an  apron,  who  was  carrying  a 
parcel,  a  parasol,  and  something  round  in  a  leather  case, 
was  walking  behind  the  chair.  Then  came  Prince  Korcha- 
gin,  with  his  thick  lips,  apoplectic  neck,  and  a  travelling  cap 


400  Resurrection 

on  his  head ;  behind  him  Missy,  her  cousin  Misha,  and  an 
acquaintance  of  Nekhludoff's — the  long-necked  diplomat 
Osten,  with  his  protruding  Adam's  apple  and  his  unvarying 
merry  mood  and  expression.  He  was  saying  something 
very  emphatically,  though  jokingly,  to  the  smiling  Missy. 
The  Korchagins  were  moving  from  their  estate  near  the 
city  to  the  estate  of  the  Princess's  sister  on  the  Nijni  rail- 
way. The  procession — the  men  carrying  the  chair,  the 
maid,  and  the  doctor — vanished  into  the  ladies'  waiting- 
room,  evoking  a  feeling  of  curiosity  and  respect  in  the  on- 
lookers. But  the  old  Prince  remained  and  sat  down  at  the 
table,  called  a  waiter,  and  ordered  food  and  drink.  Missy 
and  Osten  also  remained  in  the  refreshment-room  and  were 
about  to  sit  down,  when  they  saw  an  acquaintance  in  the 
doorway,  and  went  up  to  her.  It  was  Nathalie  Rogo- 
zhinsky.  Nathalie  came  into  the  refreshment-room  accom- 
panied by  Agraphena  Petrovna,  and  both  looked  round  the 
room.  Nathalie  noticed  at  one  and  the  same  moment  both 
her  brother  and  Missy.  She  first  went  up  to  Missy,  only 
nodding  to  her  brother;  but,  having  kissed  her,  at  once 
turned  to  him. 

"  At  last  I  have  found  you,"  she  said.  Nekhludoff  rose 
to  greet  Missy,  Misha,  and  Osten,  and  to  say  a  few  words 
to  them.  Missy  told  him  about  their  house  in  the  country 
having  been  burnt  down,  which  necessitated  their  moving 
to  her  aunt's.  Osten  began  relating  a  funny  story  about  a 
fire.  Nekhludoff  paid  no  attention,  and  turned  to  his  sister. 
"  How  glad  I  am  that  you  have  come." 

"  I  have  been  here  a  long  time,"  she  said.  "  Agraphena 
Petrovna  is  with  me."  And  she  pointed  to  Agraphena 
Petrovna,  who,  in  a  waterproof  and  with  a  bonnet  on  her 
head,  stood  some  way  off,  and  bowed  to  him  with  kindly 
dignity  and  some  confusion,  not  wishing  to  intrude. 

"  We  looked  for  you  everywhere." 

"  And  I  had  fallen  asleep  here.  How  glad  I  am  that  you 
have  come,"  repeated  Nekhludoff.  "  I  had  begun  to  write  to 
you." 

"  Really?  "  she  said,  looking  frightened.    "  What  about?  " 

Missy  and  the  gentleman,  noticing  that  an  intimate  conver- 
sation was  about  to  commence  between  the  brother  and  sis- 
ter, went  away.  Nekhludoff  and  his  sister  sat  down  by  the 
window  on  a  velvet-covered  sofa,  on  which  lay  a  plaid,  a  box, 
and  a  few  other  things. 


Resurrection  401 

"  Yesterday,  after  I  left  you,  I  felt  inclined  to  return  and 
express  my  regret,  but  I  did  not  know  how  he  would  take  it," 
said  Nekhludoff.  "  I  spoke  hastily  to  your  husband,  and  this 
tormented  me." 

"  I  knew,"  said  his  sister,  "  that  you  did  not  mean  to.  Oh, 
you  know !  "  and  the  tears  came  to  her  eyes,  and  she  touched 
his  hand.  The  sentence  was  not  clear,  but  he  understood  it 
perfectly,  and  was  touched  by  what  it  expressed.  Her  words 
meant  that,  besides  the  love  for  her  husband  which  held  her 
in  its  sway,  she  prized  and  considered  important  the  love  she 
had  for  him,  her  brother,  and  that  every  misunderstanding 
between  them  caused  her  deep  suffering. 

"  Thank  you,  thank  you.  Oh !  what  I  have  seen  to-day !  " 
he  said,  suddenly  recalling  the  second  of  the  dead  convicts. 
"  Two  prisoners  have  been  done  to  death." 

"  Done  to  death  ?    How  ?  " 

"  Yes,  done  to  death.  They  led  them  in  this  heat,  and  two 
died  of  sunstroke." 

"  Impossible!    What,  to-day?    Just  now?" 

"  Yes,  just  now.     I  have  seen  their  bodies." 

"  But  why  done  to  death  ?  Who  killed  them  ?  "  asked 
Nathalie. 

"  They  who  forced  them  to  go  killed  them,"  said  Nekhlu- 
doff, with  irritation,  feeling  that  she  looked  at  this,  too,  with 
her  husband's  eyes. 

"  Oh,  Lord !  "  said  Agraphena  Petrovna,  who  had  come 
up  to  them. 

"  Yes,  we  have  not  the  slightest  idea  of  what  is  being  done 
to  these  unfortunate  beings.  But  it  ought  to  be  known," 
added  Nekhludoff,  and  looked  at  old  Korchagin,  who  sat 
with  a  napkin  tied  round  him  and  a  bottle  before  him,  and 
who  looked  round  at  Nekhludoff. 

"  Nekhludoff,"  he  called  out,  "  won't  you  join  me  and  take 
some  refreshment?    It  is  excellent  before  a  journey." 

Nekhludoff  refused,  and  turned  away. 

"  But  what  are  you  going  to  do  ?  "  Nathalie  continued. 

"  What  I  can.  I  don't  know,  but  I  feel  I  must  do  some- 
thing.   And  I  shall  do  what  I  am  able  to." 

"Yes,  I  understand.  And  how  about  them?"  she  con- 
tinued, with  a  smile  and  a  look  towards  Korchagin.  '  Is  it 
possible  that  it  is  all  over?  " 

"  Completelv,  and  I  think  without  any  regret  on  either 
side." 


4-02  Resurrection 

"  It  is  a  pity.  I  am  sorry.  I  am  fond  of  her.  However, 
it's  all  right.  But  why  do  you  wish  to  bind  yourself?  "  she 
added  shyly.    "  Why  are  you  going?  " 

"  I  go  because  I  must,"  answered  Nekhludoff,  seriously 
and  dryly,  as  if  wishing  to  stop  this  conversation.  But  he 
felt  ashamed  of  his  coldness  towards  his  sister  at  once. 
'  Why  not  tell  her  all  I  am  thinking?  "  he  thought,  "  and  let 
Agraphena  Petrovna  also  hear  it,"  he  thought,  with  a  look 
at  the  old  servant,  whose  presence  made  the  wish  to  repeat 
his  decision  to  his  sister  even  stronger. 

'You  mean  my  intention  to  marry  Katusha?  W'ell,  you 
see,  I  made  up  my  mind  to  do  it,  hut  she  refuses  definitely 
and  firmly,"  he  said,  and  his  voice  shook,  as  it  always  did 
when  he  spoke  of  it.  "  She  does  not  wish  to  accept  my  sac- 
rifice, but  is  herself  sacrificing  what  in  her  position  means 
much,  and  I  cannot  accept  this  sacrifice,  if  it  is  only  a  mo- 
mentary impulse.  And  so  I  am  going  with  her,  and  shall  be 
where  she  is,  and  shall  trv  to  lighten  her  fate  as  much  as  I 
can." 

Nathalie  said  nothing.  Agraphena  Petrovna  looked  at  her 
with  a  questioning  look,  and  shook  her  head.  At  this  mo- 
ment the  former  procession  issued  from  the  ladies'  room. 
The  same  handsome  footman  (Philip)  and  the  doorkeeper 
were  carrying  the  Princess  Korchagin.  She  stopped  the  men 
who  were  carrying  her,  and  motioned  to  Nekhludoff  to  ap- 
proach, and,  with  a  pitiful,  languishing  air,  she  extended  her 
white,  ringed  hand,  expecting  the  firm  pressure  of  his  hand 
with  a  sense  of  horror. 

"  Rponvantable!"  she  said,  meaning  the  heat.  '  I  cannot 
stand  it!  Ce  climat  me  tne!"  And,  after  a  short  talk  about 
the  horrors  of  the  Russian  climate,  she  gave  the  men  a  sign 
to  go  on. 

'  Be  sure  and  come,"  she  added,  turning  her  long  face 
towards  Nekhludoff  as  she  was  borne  away. 

The  procession  with  the  Princess  turned  to  the  right 
towards  the  first-class  carriages.  Nekhludoff,  with  the  por- 
ter who  was  carrying  his  things,  and  Taras  with  his  bag, 
turned  to  the  left. 

'  This  is  my  companion,"  said  Nekhludoff  to  his  sister, 
pointing  to  Taras,  whose  story  he  had  told  her  before. 

"  Surely  not  third  class  ?  "  said  Nathalie,  when  Nekhludoff 
stopped  in  front  of  a  third-class  carriage,  and  Taras  and  the 
porter  with  the  things  went  in. 


Resurrection  403 

"  Yes ;  it  is  more  convenient  for  me  to  be  with  Taras,"  he 
said.  "  One  thing  more,"  he  added ;  "  up  to  now  I  have  not 
given  the  Kousminski  land  to  the  peasants ;  so  that,  in  case 
of  my  death,  your  children  will  inherit  it." 

"  Dmitri,  don't !  "  said  Nathalie. 

"  If  I  do  give  it  away,  all  I  can  say  is  that  the  rest  will  be 
theirs,  as  it  is  not  likely  I  shall  marry ;  and  if  I  do  marry 
I  shall  have  no  children,  so  that " 

"  Dmitri,  don't  talk  like  that !  "  said  Nathalie.  And  yet 
Nekhludoff  noticed  that  she  was  glad  to  hear  him  say  it. 

Higher  up,  by  the  side  of  a  first-class  carriage,  there  stood 
a  group  of  people  still  looking  at  the  carriage  into  which  the 
Princess  Korchagin  had  been  carried.  Most  of  the  pas- 
sengers were  already  seated.  Some  of  the  late  comers  hur- 
riedly clattered  along  the  boards  of  the  platform,  the  guard 
was  closing  the  doors  and  asking  the  passengers  to  get  in  and 
those  who  were  seeing  them  off  to  come  out. 

Nekhludoff  entered  the  hot,  smelling  carriage,  but  at  once 
stepped  out  again  on  to  the  small  platform  at  the  back  of  the 
carriage.  Nathalie  stood  opposite  the  carriage,  with  her 
fashionable  bonnet  and  cape,  by  the  side  of  Agraphena 
Petrovna,  and  was  evidently  trying  to  find  something  to  say. 

She  could  not  even  say  ccrivcz,  because  they  had  long  ago 
laughed  at  this  word,  habitually  spoken  by  those  about  to 
part.  The  short  conversation  about  money  matters  had  in  a 
moment  destroyed  the  tender  brotherly  and  sisterly  feelings 
that  had  taken  hold  of  them.  They  felt  estranged,  so  that 
Nathalie  was  glad  when  the  train  moved ;  and  she  could  only 
say,  nodding  her  head  with  a  sad  and  tender  look,  "  Good- 
bye, good-bye,  Dmitri."  But  as  soon  as  the  carriage  had 
passed  her  she  thought  of  how  she  should  repeat  her  conver- 
sation with  her  brother  to  her  husband,  and  her  face  became 
serious  and  troubled. 

Nekhludoff,  too,  though  he  had  nothing  but  the  kindest 
feelings  for  his  sister,  and  had  hidden  nothing  from  her,  now 
felt  depressed  and  uncomfortable  with  her,  and  was  glad  to 
part.  He  felt  that  the  Nathalie  who  was  once  so  near  to  him 
no  longer  existed,  and  in  her  place  was  only  a  slave  of  that 
hairy,  unpleasant  husband,  who  was  so  foreign  to  him.  He 
saw  it  clearly  when  her  face  lit  up  with  peculiar  animation  as 
he  spoke  of  what  would  peculiarly  interest  her  husband,  i.e., 
the  giving  up  of  the  land  to  the  peasants  and  the  inheritance. 

And  this  made  him  sad. 


404  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XL. 

THE  FUNDAMENTAL  LAW  OF  HUMAN   LIFE. 

The  heat  in  the  large  third-class  carriage,  which  had  been 
standing  in  the  burning  sun  all  day,  was  so  great  that  Nekh- 
ludoff  did  not  go  in,  but  stopped  on  the  little  platform  behind 
the  carriage  which  formed  a  passage  to  the  next  one.  But 
there  was  not  a  breath  of  fresh  air  here  either,  and  Nekhlu- 
doff  breathed  freely  only  when  the  train  had  passed  the  build- 
ings and  the  draught  blew  across  the  platform. 

'  Yes,  killed,"  he  repeated  to  himself,  the  words  he  had 
used  to  his  sister.  And  in  his  imagination  in  the  midst  of  all 
other  impressions  there  arose  with  wonderful  clearness  the 
beautiful  face  of  the  second  dead  convict,  with  the  smile  of 
the  lips,  the  severe  expression  of  the  brows,  and  the  small, 
firm  ear  below  the  shaved  bluish  skull. 

And  what  seemed  terrible  was  that  he  had  been  murdered, 
and  no  one  knew  who  had  murdered  him.  Yet  he  had  been 
murdered.  He  was  led  out  like  all  the  rest  of  the  prisoners 
by  MaslennikofFs  orders.  Maslennikoff  had  probably  given 
the  order  in  the  usual  manner,  had  signed  with  his  stupid 
flourish  the  paper  with  the  printed  heading,  and  most  cer- 
tainly would  not  consider  himself  guilty.  Still  less  would  the 
careful  doctor  who  examined  the  convicts  consider  himself 
guilty.  He  had  performed  his  duty  accurately,  and  had  sep- 
arated the  weak.  How  could  he  have  foreseen  this  terrible 
heat,  or  the  fact  that  they  would  start  so  late  in  the  day  and 
in  such  crowds?  The  prison  inspector?  But  the  inspector 
had  only  carried  into  execution  the  order  that  on  a  given  day 
a  certain  number  of  exiles  and  convicts — men  and  women — 
had  to  be  sent  off.  The  convoy  officer  could  not  be  guiltv 
either,  for  his  business  was  to  receive  a  certain  number  of 
persons  in  a  certain  place,  and  to  deliver  up  the  same  number. 
He  conducted  them  in  the  usual  manner,  and  could  not  fore- 
see that  two  such  strong  men  as  those  Nekhludoff  saw  would 
not  be  able  to  stand  it  and  would  die.  No  one  is  guilty, 
and  yet  the  men  have  been  murdered  by  these  people  who  are 
not  guilty  of  their  murder. 


Resurrection  405 

"  All  this  comes,"  Nekhludoff  thought,  "  from  the  fact 
that  all  these  people,  governors,  inspectors,  police  officers, 
and  men,  consider  that  there  are  circumstances  in  which 
human  relations  are  not  necessary  between  human  beings. 
All  these  men,  Maslennikoff,  and  the  inspector,  and  the  con- 
voy officer,  if  they  were  not  governor,  inspector,  officer, 
would  have  considered  twenty  times  before  sending  people 
in  such  heat  in  such  a  mass — would  have  stopped  twenty 
times  on  the  way,  and,  seeing  that  a  man  was  growing  weak, 
gasping  for  breath,  would  have  led  him  into  the  shade, 
would  have  given  him  water  and  let  him  rest,  and  if  an 
accident  had  still  occurred  they  would  have  expressed  pity. 
But  they  not  only  did  not  do  it,  but  hindered  others  from 
doing  it,  because  they  considered  not  men  and  their  duty 
towards  them,  but  only  the  office  they  themselves  filled,  and 
held  what  that  office  demanded  of  them  to  be  above  human 
relations.  That's  what  it  is,"  Nekhludoff  went  on  in  his 
thoughts.  "  If  one  acknowledges  but  for  a  single  hour 
that  anything  can  be  more  important  than  love  for  one's 
fellowmen,  even  in  some  one  exceptional  case,  any  crime 
can  be  committed  without  a  feeling  of  guilt." 

Nekhludoff  was  so  engrossed  by  his  thoughts  that  he  did 
not  notice  how  the  weather  changed.  The  sun  was  covered 
over  by  a  low-hanging,  ragged  cloud.  A  compact,  light 
grey  cloud  was  rapidly  coming  from  the  west,  and  was  al- 
ready falling  in  heavy,  driving  rain  on  the  fields  and  woods 
far  in  the  distance.  Moisture,  coming  from  the  cloud, 
mixed  with  the  air.  Now  and  then  the  cloud  was  rent  by 
flashes  of  lightning,  and  peals  of  thunder  mingled  more  and 
more  often  with  the  rattling  of  the  train.  The  cloud  came 
nearer  and  nearer,  the  rain-drops — driven  by  the  wind — 
began  to  spot  the  platform  and  Nekhludoff 's  coat ;  and  he 
stepped  to  the  other  side  of  the  little  platform,  and,  inhaling 
the  fresh,  moist  air — filled  with  the  smell  of  corn  and  wet 
earth  that  had  long  been  waiting  for  rain — he  stood  looking 
at  the  gardens,  the  woods,  the  yellow  rye  fields,  the  green 
oatfields,  the  dark-green  strips  of  potatoes  in  bloom,  that 
glided  past.  Everything  looked  as  if  covered  over  with  var- 
nish— the  green  turned  greener,  the  yellow  yellower,  the 
black  blacker. 

"  More !  more !  "  said  Nekhludoff,  gladdened  by  the  sight 
of  gardens  and  fields  revived  by  the  beneficent  shower.  The 
shower  did  not  last  long.    Part  of  the  cloud  had  come  down 


406 


Resurrection 


in  rain,  part  passed  over,  and  the  last  fine  drops  fell  straight 
on  to  the  earth.  The  sun  reappeared,  everything  began  to 
glisten,  and  in  the  east — not  very  high  above  the  horizon — 
appeared  a  bright  rainbow,  with  the  violet  tint  very  distinct 
and  broken  only  at  one  end. 

'  Why,  what  was  I  thinking  about  ?  "  Nekhludoff  asked 
himself  when  all  these  changes  in  nature  were  over,  and  the 
train  ran  into  a  cutting  between  two  high  banks. 

"  Oh !  I  was  thinking  that  all  those  people  (inspector,  con- 
voy men — all  those  in  the  service)  are  for  the  greater  part 
kind  people — cruel  only  because  they  are  serving."  He 
recalled  MaslennikofFs  indifference  when  he  told  him  about 
what  was  being  done  in  the  prison,  the  inspector's  severity, 
the  cruelty  of  the  convoy  officer  when  he  refused  places  on 
the  carts  to  those  who  asked  for  them,  and  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  there  was  a  woman  in  travail  in  the 
train.  All  these  people  were  evidently  invulnerable  and 
impregnable  to  the  simplest  feelings  of  compassion  only  be- 
cause they  held  offices.  "  As  officials  they  were  im- 
permeable to  the  feelings  of  humanity,  as  this  paved 
ground  is  impermeable  to  the  rain."  Thus  thought 
Nekhludoff  as  he  looked  at  the  railway  embank- 
ment paved  with  stones  of  different  colours,  down 
which  the  water  was  running  in  streams  instead  of  soaking' 
into  the  earth.  '''  Perhaps  it  is  necessary  to  pave  the  banks 
with  stones,  but  it  is  sad  to  look  at  the  ground,  which  might 
be  yielding  corn,  grass,  bushes,  or  trees  in  the  same  way  as 
the  ground  visible  up  there  is  doing — deprived  of  vegeta- 
tion, and  so  it  is  with  men,"  thought  Nekhludoff.  "  Per- 
haps these  governors,  inspectors,  policemen,  are  needed,  but 
it  is  terrible  to  see  men  deprived  of  the  chief  human  attribute, 
that  of  love  and  sympathy  for  one  another.  The  thing  is," 
he  continued,  "  that  these  people  consider  lawful  what  is  not 
lawful,  and  do  not  consider  the  eternal,  immutable  law,  writ- 
ten in  the  hearts  of  men  by  God,  as  law.  That  is  why  I  feel 
so  depressed  when  I  am  with  these  people.  I  am  simply 
afraid  of  them,  and  really  they  are  terrible,  more  terrible 
than  robbers.  A  robber  might,  after  all,  feel  pity,  but  they 
can  feel  no  pity,  they  are  inured  against  pity  as  these  stones 
are  against  vegetation.  That  is  what  makes  them  terrible. 
It'  is  said  that  the  Pougatcheffs,*  the  Razins  *  are  terrible. 

*  Leaders  of  rebellions  in  Russia:    Stenka  Razin  in  the  17th  and 
Pougatcheff  in  the  18th  century. 


Resurrection  407 

These  are  a  thousand  times  more  terrible,"  he  continued,  in 
his  thoughts.  "  If  a  psychological  problem  were  set  to  find 
means  of  making  men  of  our  time — Christian,  humane,  sim- 
ple, kind  people — perform  the  most  horrible  crimes  without 
feeling  guilty,  only  one  solution  could  be  devised :  to  go  on 
doing  what  is  being  done.  It  is  only  necessary  that  these 
people  should  be  governors,  inspectors,  policemen ;  that 
they  should  be  fully  convinced  that  there  is  a  kind  of  busi- 
ness, called  government  service,  which  allows  men  to  treat 
other  men  as  things,  without  human  brotherly  relations 
with  them,  and  also  that  these  people  should  be  so  linked 
together  by  this  government  service  that  the  responsibility 
for  the  results  of  their  actions  should  not  fall  on  any  one  of 
them  separately.  Without  these  conditions,  the  terrible  acts 
I  witnessed  to-day  would  be  impossible  in  our  times.  It 
all  lies  in  the  fact  that  men  think  there  are  circumstances 
in  which  one  may  deal  with  human  beings  without  love ;  and 
there  are  no  such  circumstances.  One  may  deal  with  things 
without  love ;  one  may  cut  down  trees,  make  bricks,  ham- 
mer iron  without  love ;  but  you  cannot  deal  with  men  with- 
out it,  just  as  one  cannot  deal  with  bees  without  being  careful. 
If  you  deal  carelessly  with  bees  you  will  injure  them,  and 
will  yourself  be  injured.  And  so  with  men.  It  cannot  be 
otherwise,  because  natural  love  is  the  fundamental  law  of 
human  life.  It  is  true  that  a  man  cannot  force  another  to 
love  him,  as  he  can  force  him  to  work  for  him  ;  but  it  does 
not  follow  that  a  man  may  deal  with  men  without  love,  es- 
pecially to  demand  anything  from  them.  If  you  feel  no 
love,  sit  still,"  Nekhludoff  thought ;  "  occupy  yourself  with 
things,  with  yourself,  with  anything  you  like,  only  not  with 
men.  You  can  only  eat  without  injuring  yourself  when 
you  feel  inclined  to  eat,  so  you  can  only  deal  with  men  use- 
fully when  you  love.  Only  let  yourself  deal  with  a  man 
without  love,  as  I  did  yesterday  with  my  brother-in-law,  and 
there  are  no  limits  to  the  suffering  you  will  bring  on  your- 
self, as  all  my  life  proves.  Yes,  yes,  it  is  so,"  thought  Nekh- 
ludoff; "it  is  good ;  yes,  it  is  good,"  he  repeated,  enjoying 
the  freshness  after  the  torturing  heat,  and  conscious  of  hav- 
ing attained  to  the  fullest  clearness  on  a  question  that  had 
Jong  occupied  him. 


408 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

TARAS's  STORY. 

The  carriage  in  which  Nekhludoff  had  taken  his  place 
was  half  rilled  with  people.  There  were  in  it  servants,  work- 
ing men,  factory  hands,  butchers,  Jews,  shopmen,  work- 
men's wives,  a  soldier,  two  ladies,  a  young  one  and  an  old 
one  with  bracelets  on  her  arm,  and  a  severe-looking  gentle- 
man with  a  cockade  on  his  black  cap.  All  these  people  were 
sitting  quietly ;  the  bustle  of  taking  their  places  was  long 
over ;  some  sat  cracking  and  eating  sunflower  seeds,  some 
smoking,  some  talking. 

Taras  sat,  looking  very  happy,  opposite  the  door,  keep- 
ing a  place  for  Nekhludoff,  and  carrying  on  an  animated 
conversation  with  a  man  in  a  cloth  coat  who  sat  opposite  to 
him,  and  who  was,  as  Nekhludoff  afterwards  found  out,  a 
gardener  going  to  a  new  situation.  Before  reaching  the 
place  where  Taras  sat  Nekhludoff  stopped  between  the 
seats  near  a  reverend-looking  old  man  with  a  white  beard 
and  nankeen  coat,  who  was  talking  with  a  young  woman 
in  peasant  dress.  A  little  girl  of  about  seven,  dressed  in  a 
new  peasant  costume,  sat,  her  little  legs  dangling  above  the 
floor,  by  the  side  of  the  woman,  and  kept  cracking  seeds. 

The  old  man  turned  round,  and,  seeing  Nekhludoff,  he 
moved  the  lappets  of  his  coat  off  the  varnished  seat  next 
to  him,  and  said,  in  a  friendly  manner : 

"  Please,  here's  a  seat." 

Nekhludoff  thanked  him,  and  took  the  seat.  As  soon 
as  he  was  seated  the  woman  continued  the  interrupted  con- 
versation. 

She  was  returning  to  her  village,  and  related  how  her 
husband,  whom  she  had  been  visiting,  had  received  her'  in 
town. 

;'  I  was  there  during  the  carnival,  and  now,  by  the  Lord's 
help,  I've  been  again,"  she  said.  "  Then,  God  willing,  at 
Christmas  I'll  go  again." 

'  That's  right,"  said  the  old  man,  with  a  look  at  Nekh- 


Resurrection  409 

ludoff,  "  it's  the  best  way  to  go  and  see  him,  else  a  young 
man  can  easily  go  to  the  bad,  living  in  a  town." 

"  Oh,  no,  sir,  mine  is  not  such  a  man.  No  nonsense  of  any 
kind  about  him ;  his  life  is  as  good  as  a  young  maiden's. 
The  money  he  earns  he  sends  home  all  to  a  copeck.  And, 
as  to  our  girl  here,  he  was  so  glad  to  see  her,  there  are  no 
words  for  it,"  said  the  woman,  and  smiled. 

The  little  girl,  who  sat  cracking  her  seeds  and  spitting 
out  the  shells,  listened  to  her  mother's  words,  and,  as  if  to 
confirm  them,  looked  up  with  calm,  intelligent  eyes  into 
NekhludofFs  and  the  old  man's  faces. 

"  Well,  if  he's  good,  that's  better  still,"  said  the  old  man. 
"And  none  of  that  sort  of  thing?"  he  added,  with  a  look 
at  a  couple,  evidently  factory  hands,  who  sat  at  the  other 
side  of  the  carriage.  The  husband,  with  his  head  thrown 
back,  was  pouring  vodka  down  his  throat  out  of  a  bottle, 
and  the  wife  sat  holding  a  bag,  out  of  which  they  had  taken 
the  bottle,  and  watched  him  intently. 

"  No,  mine  neither  drinks  nor  smokes,"  said  the  woman 
who  was  conversing  with  the  old  man,  glad  of  the  oppor- 
tunity of  praising  her  husband  once  more.  '  No,  sir,  the 
earth  does  not  hold  many  such."  And,  turning  to  Nekhlu- 
doff,  she  added,  "  That's  the  sort  of  man  he  is." 

"  What  could  be  better,"  said  the  old  man,  looking  at  the 
factory  worker,  who  had  had  his  drink  and  had  passed  the 
bottle  to  his  wife.  The  wife  laughed,  shook  her  head,  and 
also  raised  the  bottle  to  her  lips. 

Noticing  NekhludofFs  and  the  old  man's  look  directed 
towards  them,  the  factory  worker  addressed  the  former. 

"  What  is  it,  sir?  That  we  are  drinking?  Ah,  no  one  sees 
how  we  work,  but  every  one  sees  how  we  drink.  I  have 
earned  it,  and  I  am  drinking  and  treating  my  wife,  and  no 
one  else." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  Nekhludoff,  not  knowing  what  to  say. 

"  True,  sir.  My  wife  is  a  steady  woman.  I  am  satisfied 
with  my  wife,  because  she  can  feel  for  me.  Is  it  right  what 
I'm  saying,  Mavra?  " 

"  There  you  are,  take  it,  I  don't  want  any  more,"  said 
the  wife,  returning  the  bottle  to  him.  "  And  what  are  you 
jawing  for  like  that?  "  she  added. 

"  There  now !  She's  good — that  good ;  and  suddenly 
she'll  begin  squeaking  like  a  wheel  that's  not  greased. 
Mavra,  is  it  right  what  I'm  saying?  ;' 


41  o  Resurrection 

Mavra  laughed  and  moved  her  hand  with  a  tipsy  gesture. 
"  Oh,  my,  he's  at  it  again." 

"  There  now,  she's  that  good — that  good ;  but  let  her  get 
her  tail  over  the  reins,  and  you  can't  think  what  she'll  be  up 
to.  .  .  .  Is  it  right  what  I'm  saying?  You  must  excuse 
me,  sir,  I've  had  a  drop !  What's  to  be  done?  "  said  the  fac- 
tory worker,  and,  preparing  to  go  to  sleep,  put  his  head  in  his 
wife's  lap. 

Nekhludoff  sat  a  while  with  the  old  man,  who  told  him  all 
about  himself.  The  old  man  was  a  stove  builder,  who  had 
been  working  for  53  years,  and  had  built  so  many  stoves  that 
he  had  lost  count,  and  now  he  wanted  to  rest,  but  had  no 
time.  He  had  been  to  town  and  found  employment  for  the 
young  ones,  and  was  now  going  to  the  country  to  see  the 
people  at  home.  After  hearing  the  old  man's  story,  Nekhlu- 
doff went  to  the  place  that  Taras  was  keeping  for  him. 

"  It's  all  right,  sir ;  sit  down ;  we'll  put  the  bag  here,"  said 
the  gardener,  who  sat  opposite  Taras,  in  a  friendly  tone, 
looking  up  into  Nekhludoff 's  face. 

"  Rather  a  tight  fit,  but  no  matter  since  we  are  friends," 
said  Taras,  smiling,  and  lifting  the  bag,  which  weighed  more 
than  five  stone,  as  if  it  were  a  feather,  he  carried  it  across  to 
the  window. 

"  Plenty  of  room ;  besides,  we  might  stand  up  a  bit ;  and 
even  under  the  seat  it's  as  comfortable  as  you  could  wish. 
What's  the  good  of  humbugging?"  he  said,  beaming  with 
friendliness  and  kindness. 

Taras  spoke  of  himself  as  being  unable  to  utter  a  word 
when  quite  sober;  but  drink,  he  said,  helped  him  to  find  the 
right  words,  and  then  he  could  express  everything.  And  in 
reality,  when  he  was  sober  Taras  kept  silent;  but  when  he 
had  been  drinking,  which  happened  rarely  and  only  on  special 
occasions,  he  became  very  pleasantly  talkative.  Then  he 
spoke  a  great  deal,  spoke  well  and  very  simply  and  truth- 
fully, and  especially  with  great  kindliness,  which  shone  in  his 
gentle,  blue  eyes  and  in  the  friendly  smile  that  never  left  his 
lips.  He  was  in  such  a  state  to-day.  Nekhludoff's  approach 
interrupted  the  conversation  ;  but  when  he  had  put  the  bag  in 
its  place,  Taras  sat  down  again,  and  with  his  strong  hands 
folded  in  his  lap,  and  looking  straight  into  the  gardener's 
face,  continued  his  story.  He  was  telling  his  new  acquaint- 
ance about  his  wife  and  giving  every  detail :  what  she  was 
being  sent  to  Siberia  for,  and  why  he  was  now  following 


Resurrection  41 1 

her.  Nekhludoff  had  never  heard  a  detailed  account  of  this 
affair,  and  so  he  listened  with  interest.  When  he  came  up, 
the  story  had  reached  the  point  when  the  attempt  to  poison 
was  already  an  accomplished  fact,  and  the  family  had  dis- 
covered that  it  was  Theodosia's  doing. 

"  It's  about  my  troubles  that  I'm  talking,"  said  Taras, 
addressing  Nekhludoff  with  cordial  friendliness.  '  I  have 
chanced  to  come  across  such  a  hearty  man,  and  we've  got 
into  conversation,  and  I'm  telling  him  all." 

"  I  see,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

"  Well,  then  in  this  way,  my  friend,  the  business  became 
known.  Mother,  she  takes  that  cake.  '  I'm  going,'  says  she, 
'  to  the  police  officer.'  My  father  is  a  just  old  man.  '  Wait, 
wife,'  says  he,  '  the  little  woman  is  a  mere  child,  and  did  not 
herself  know  what  she  was  doing.  We  must  have  pity.  She 
may  come  to  her  senses.'  But,  dear  me,  mother  would  not 
hear  of  it.  '  While  we  keep  her  here,'  she  says,  '  she  may 
destroy  us  all  like  cockroaches.'  Well,  friend,  so  she  goes 
off  for  the  police  officer.  He  bounces  in  upon  us  at  once. 
Calls  for  witnesses." 

"  Well,  and  you?  "  asked  the  gardener. 

'  Well,  I,  you  see,  friend,  roll  about  with  the  pain  in  my 
stomach,  and  vomit.  All  my  inside  is  turned  inside  out;  I 
can't  even  speak.  Well,  so  father  he  goes  and  harnesses  the 
mare,  and  puts  Theodosia  into  the  cart,  and  is  off  to  the 
police-station,  and  then  to  the  magistrate's.  And  she,  you 
know,  just  as  she  had  done  from  the  first,  so  also  there,  con- 
fesses all  to  the  magistrate — where  she  got  the  arsenic,  and 
how  she  kneaded  the  cake.  '  Why  did  you  do  it  ? '  says  he. 
'  Why,'  says  she,  '  because  he's  hateful  to  me.  I  prefer  Si- 
beria to  a  life  with  him.'   That's  me,"  and  Taras  smiled. 

'  Well,  so  she  confessed  all.  Then,  naturally — the  prison, 
and  father  returns  alone.  And  harvest  time  just  coming,  and 
mother  the  only  woman  at  home,  and  she  no  longer  strong. 
So  we  think  what  we  are  to  do.  Could  we  not  bail  her  out  ? 
So  father  went  to  see  an  official.  No  go.  Then  another.  I 
think  he  went  to  five  of  them,  and  we  thought  of  giving  it  up. 
Then  we  happened  to  come  across  a  clerk — such  an  artful 
one  as  you  don't  often  find.  '  You  give  me  five  roubles,  and 
I'll  get  her  out,'  says  he.  He  agreed  to  do  it  for  three.  Well, 
and  what  do  you  think,  friend  ?  I  went  and  pawned  the  linen 
she  herself  had  woven,  and  gave  him  the  money.  As  soon 
as  he  had  written  that  paper,"  drawled  out  Taras,  just  as  if 


4 1  2  Resurrection 

he  were  speaking  of  a  shot  being  fired,  "  we  succeeded  at 
once.  I  went  to  fetch  her  myself.  Well,  friend,  so  I  got  to 
town,  put  up  the  mare,  took  the  paper,  and  went  to  the 
prison.  '  What  do  you  want  ? '  '  This  is  what  I  want,'  say 
I,  '  you've  got  my  wife  here  in  prison.'  '  And  have  you  got  a 
paper?  '  I  gave  him  the  paper.  He  gave  it  a  look.  '  Wait,' 
says  he.  So  I  sat  down  on  a  bench.  It  was  already  past 
noon  by  the  sun.  An  official  comes  out.  '  You  are  Var- 
goushoff  ?  '  '  I  am.'  '  Well,  you  may  take  her.'  The  gates 
opened,  and  they  led  her  out  in  her  own  clothes  quite  all 
right.  '  Well,  come  along.  Have  you  come  on  foot  ?  '  'No, 
I  have  the  horse  here.'  So  I  went  and  paid  the  ostler,  and 
harnessed,  put  in  all  the  hay  that  was  left,  and  covered  it  with 
sacking  for  her  to  sit  on.  She  got  in  and  wrapped  her  shawl 
round  her,  and  off  we  drove.  She  says  nothing  and  I  say 
nothing.  Just  as  we  were  coming  up  to  the  house  she  says, 
'  And  how's  mother ;  is  she  alive  ?  '  '  Yes,  she's  alive.'  '  And 
father ;  is  he  alive? '  '  Yes,  he  is.'  '  Forgive  me,  Taras,'  she 
says,  '  for  my  folly.  I  did  not  myself  know  what  I  was  do- 
ing.' So  I  say,  '  Words  won't  mend  matters.  I  have  for- 
given you  long  ago,'  and  I  said  no  more.  We  got  home,  and 
she  just  fell  at  mother's  feet.  Mother  says,  '  The  Lord  will 
forgive  you.'  And  father  said,  'How  d'you  do?'  and 
'  What's  past  is  past.  Live  as  best  you  can.  Now,'  says  he, 
'  is  not  the  time  for  all  that ;  there's  the  harvest  to  be  gathered 
in  down  at  Skorodino,'  he  says.  '  Down  on  the  manured 
acre,  by  the  Lord's  help,  the  ground  has  borne  such  rye  that 
the  sickle  can't  tackle  it.  It's  all  interwoven  and  heavy,  and 
has  sunk  beneath  its  weight ;  that  must  be  reaped.  You  and 
Taras  had  better  go  and  see  to  it  to-morrow.'  Well,  friend, 
from  that  moment  she  took  to  the  work  and  worked  so  that 
every  one  wondered.  At  that  time  we  rented  three  desiatins, 
and  by  God's  help  we  had  a  wonderful  crop  both  of  oats  and 
rye.  I  mow  and  she  binds  the  sheaves,  and  sometimes  we 
both  of  us  reap.  I  am  good  at  work  and  not  afraid  of  it, 
but  she's  better  still  at  whatever  she  takes  up.  She's  a  smart 
woman,  young,  and  full  of  life ;  and  as  to  work,  friend,  she'd 
grown  that  eager  that  I  had  to  stop  her.  We  get  home,  our 
fingers  swollen,  our  arms  aching,  and  she,  instead  of  resting, 
rushes  off  to  the  barn  to  make  binders  for  the  sheaves  for 
next  day.     Such  a  change !  " 

'  Well,  and  to  you  ?     Was  she  kinder,  now  ?  "  asked  the 
gardener. 


Resurrection  413 

'  That's  beyond  question.  She  clings  to  me  as  if  we  were 
one  soul.  Whatever  I  think  she  understands.  Even  mother, 
angry  as  she  was,  could  not  help  saying :  '  It's  as  if  our  The- 
odosia  had  been  transformed ;  she's  quite  a  different  woman 
now !  '  We  were  once  going  to  cart  the  sheaves  with  two 
carts.  She  and  I  were  in  the  first,  and  I  say,  '  How  could 
you  think  of  doing  that,  Theodosia  ? '  and  she  says,  '  How 
could  I  think  of  it  ?  Just  so,  I  did  not  wish  to  live  with  you. 
I  thought  I'd  rather  die  than  live  with  you  !  '  I  say,  '  And 
now  ? '  and  she  says,  '  Now  you're  in  my  heart !  '  Taras 
stopped,  and  smiled  joyfully,  shook  his  head  as  if  surprised. 
"  Hardly  had  we  got  the  harvest  home  when  I  went  to  soak 
the  hemp,  and  when  I  got  home  there  was  a  summons,  she 
must  go  to  be  tried,  and  we  had  forgotten  all  about  the  mat- 
ter that  she  was  to  be  tried  for." 

"  It  can  only  be  the  evil  one,"  said  the  gardener.  "  Could 
any  man  of  himself  think  of  destroying  a  living  soul?  We 
had  a  fellow  once "  and  the  gardener  was  about  to  com- 
mence his  tale  when  the  train  began  to  stop. 

'  It  seems  we  are  coming  to  a  station,"  he  said.  '  I'll  go 
and  have  a  drink." 

The  conversation  stopped,  and  Nekhludoff  followed  the 
gardener  out  of  the  carriage  onto  the  wet  platform  of  the 
station. 


4  1 4  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XLII. 


LE   VRAI    GRAND    MONDE. 


Before  Nekhludoff  got  out  he  had  noticed  in  the  station 
yard  several  elegant  equipages,  some  with  three,  some  with 
four,  well-fed  horses,  with  tinkling  bells  on  their  harness. 
When  he  stepped  out  on  the  wet,  dark-coloured  boards  of 
the  platform,  he  saw  a  group  of  people  in  front  of  the  first- 
class  carriage,  among  whom  were  conspicuous  a  stout  lady 
with  costly  feathers  on  her  hat,  and  a  waterproof,  and  a  tall, 
thin-legged  young  man  in  a  cycling  suit.  The  young  man 
had  by  his  side  an  enormous,  well-fed  dog,  with  a  valuable 
collar.  Behind  them  stood  footmen,  holding  wraps  and 
umbrellas,  and  a  coachman,  who  had  also  come  to  meet  the 
-train. 

On  the  whole  of  the  group,  from  the  fat  lady  down  to 
the  coachman  who  stood  holding  up  his  long  coat,  there 
lay  the  stamp  of  wealth  and  quiet  self-assurance.  A  curious 
and  servile  crowd  rapidly  gathered  round  this  group — the 
station-master,  in  his  red  cap,  a  gendarme,  a  thin  young 
lady  in  a  Russian  costume,  with  beads  round  her  neck,  who 
made  a  point  of  seeing  the  trains  come  in  all  through  the 
summer,  a  telegraph  clerk,  and  passengers,  men  and  women. 

In  the  young  man  with  the  dog  Nekhludoff  recognised 
young  Korchagin,  a  gymnasium  student.  The  fat  lady  was 
the  Princess's  sister,  to  whose  estate  the  Korchagins  were 
now  moving.  The  guard,  with  his  gold  cord  and  shiny  top- 
boots,  opened  the  carriage  door  and  stood  holding  it  as 
a  sign  of  deference,  while  Philip  and  a  porter  with  a  white 
apron  carefully  carried  out  the  long-faced  Princess  in  her 
folding  chair.  The  sisters  greeted  each  other,  and  French 
sentences  began  flying  about.  Would  the  Princess  go  in 
a  closed  or  an  open  carriage  ?  At  last  the  procession  started 
towards  the  exit,  the  lady's  maid,  with  her  curly  fringe, 
parasol  and  leather  case  in  the  rear. 

Nekhludoff,  not  wishing  to  meet  them  and  to  have  to  take 
leave  over  again,  stopped  before  he  got  to  the  door,  waiting 
for  the  procession  to  pass. 


Resurrection 


415 


The  Princess,  her  son,  Missy,  the  doctor,  and  the  maid 
went  out  first,  the  old  Prince  and  his  sister-in-law  remained 
behind.  Nekhludoff  was  too  far  to  catch  anything  but  a 
few  disconnected  French  sentences  of  their  conversation. 
One  of  the  sentences  uttered  by  the  Prince,  as  it  often 
happens,  for  some  unaccountable  reason  remained  in  his 
memory  with  all  its  intonations  and  the  sound  of  the 
voice. 

"  Oh,  il  est  da  vrai  grand  monde,  du  vrai  grand  monde," 
said  the  Prince  in  his  loud,  self-assured  tone  as  he  went  out 
of  the  station  with  his  sister-in-law,  accompanied  by  the 
respectful  guards  and  porters. 

At  this  moment  from  behind  the  corner  of  the  station 
suddenly  appeared  a  crowd  of  workmen  in  bark  shoes,  wear- 
ing sheepskin  coats  and  carrying  bags  on  their  backs.  The 
workmen  went  up  to  the  nearest  carriage  with  soft  yet 
determined  steps,  and  were  about  to  get  in,  but  were  at 
once  driven  away  by  a  guard.  Without  stopping,  the  work- 
men passed  on,  hurrying  and  jostling  one  another,  to  the 
next  carriage  and  began  getting  in,  catching  their  bags 
against  the  corners  and  door  of  the  carriage,  but  another 
guard  caught  sight  of  them  from  the  door  of  the  station, 
and  shouted  at  them  severely.  The  workmen,  who  had 
already  got  in,  hurried  out  again  and  went  on,  with  the  same 
soft  and  firm  steps,  still  further  towards  Nekhludoff's  car- 
riage. A  guard  was  again  going  to  stop  them,  but  Nekhlu- 
doff said  there  was  plenty  of  room  inside,  and  that  they  had 
better  get  in.  They  obeved  and  got  in,  followed  by  Nekhlu- 
doff. 

The  workmen  were  about  to  take  their  seats,  when  the 
gentleman  with  the  cockade  and  the  two  ladies,  looking  at 
this  attempt  to  settle  in  their  carriage  as  a  personal  insult 
to  themselves,  indignantly  protested  and  wanted  to  turn 
them  out.  The  workmen — there  were  20  of  them,  old  men 
and  quite  young  ones,  all  of  them  wearied,  sunburnt,  with 
haggard  faces — began  at  once  to  move  on  through  the  car- 
riage, catching  the  seats,  the  walls,  and  the  doors  with  their 
bags.  They  evidently  felt  they  had  offended  in  some  way, 
and  seemed  ready  to  go  on  indefinitely  wherever  they  were 
ordered  to  go. 

'  Where  are  you  pushing  to,  you  fiends  ?  Sit  down  here," 
shouted  another  guard  they  met. 

'  Voila  encore  des  nonvelles,"  exclaimed  the  younger  of 


416 


Resurrection 


the  two  ladies,  quite  convinced  that  she  would  attract  Nekh- 
ludofT's  notice  by  her  good  French. 

The  other  lady  with  the  bracelets  kept  sniffing  and  making 
faces,  and  remarked  something  about  how  pleasant  it  was 
to  sit  with  smelly  peasants. 

The  workmen,  who  felt  the  joy  and  calm  experienced 
by  people  who  have  escaped  some  kind  of  danger,  threw  off 
their  heavy  bags  with  a  movement  of  their  shoulders  and 
stowed  them  away  under  the  seats. 

The  gardener  had  left  his  own  seat  to  talk  with  Taras, 
and  now  went  back,  so  that  there  were  two  unoccupied  seats 
opposite  and  one  next  to  Taras.  Three  of  the  workmen  took 
these  seats,  but  when  Nekhludoff  came  up  to  them,  in  his 
gentleman's  clothing,  they  got  so  confused  that  they  rose 
to  go  away,  but  Nekhludoff  asked  them  to  stay,  and  himself 
sat  down  on  the  arm  of  the  seat,  by  the  passage  down  the 
middle  of  the  carriage. 

One  of  the  workmen,  a  man  of  about  50,  exchanged  a 
surprised  and  even  frightened  look  with  a  young  man.  That 
Nekhludoff,  instead  of  scolding  and  driving  them  away,  as 
was  natural  to  a  gentleman,  should  give  up  his  seat  to  them, 
astonished  and  perplexed  them.  They  even  feared  that  this 
might  have  some  evil  result  for  them. 

However,  they  soon  noticed  that  there  was  no  underlying 
plot  when  they  heard  Nekhludoff  talking  quite  simply  with 
Taras,  and  they  grew  quiet  and  told  one  of  the  lads  to  sit 
down  on  his  bag  and  give  his  seat  to  Nekhludoff.  At  first 
the  elderly  workman  who  sat  opposite  Nekhludoff  shrank 
and  drew  back  his  legs  for  fear  of  touching  the  gentleman, 
but  after  a  while  he  grew  quite  friendly,  and  in  talking 
to  him  and  Taras  even  slapped  Nekhludoff  on  the  knee 
when  he  wanted  to  draw  special  attention  to  what  he  was 
saying. 

He  told  them  all  about  his  position  and  his  work  in  the 
peat  bogs,  whence  he  was  now  returning  home.  He  had 
been  working  there  for  two  and  a  half  months,  and  was 
bringing  home  his  wages,  which  only  came  to  10  roubles, 
since  part  had  been  paid  beforehand  when  he  was  hired. 
They  worked,  as  he  explained,  up  to  their  knees  in  water 
from  sunrise  to  sunset,  with  two  hours'  interval  for  dinner. 
'  Those  who  are  not  used  to  it  find  it  hard,  of  course," 
he  said ;  "'  but  when  one's  hardened  it  doesn't  matter,  if 
only  the  food  is  right.     At  first  the  food  was  bad.     Later 


Resurrection  4 1 7 

the  people  complained,  and  they  got  good  food,  and  it  was 
easy  to  work." 

Then  he  told  them  how,  during  28  years  he  went  out  to 
work,  and  sent  all  his  earnings  home.  First  to  his  father, 
then  to  his  eldest  brother,  and  now  to  his  nephew,  who  was 
at  the  head  of  the  household.  On  himself  he  spent  only 
two  or  three  roubles  of  the  50  or  60  he  earned  a  year,  just 
for  "luxuries — tobacco  and  matches. 

"  I'm  a  sinner,  when  tired  I  even  drink  a  little  vodka 
sometimes,"  he  added,  with  a  guilty  smile. 

Then  he  told  them  how  the  women  did  the  work  at  home, 
and  how  the  contractor  had  treated  them  to  half  a  pail  of 
vodka  before  they  started  to-day,  how  one  of  them  had  died, 
and  another  was  returning  home  ill.  The  sick  workman 
he  was  talking  about  was  in  a  corner  of  the  same  carriage. 
He  was  a  young  lad,  with  a  pale,  sallow  face  and  bluish  lips. 
He  was  evidently  tormented  by  intermittent  fever.  Nekhlu- 
doff went  up  to  him,  but  the  lad  looked  up  with  such  a  severe 
and  suffering  expression  that  Nekhludoff  did  not  care  to 
bother  him  with  questions,  but  advised  the  elder  man  to  give 
him  quinine,  and  wrote  down  the  name  of  the  medicine. 
He  wished  to  give  him  some  money,  but  the  old  workman 
said  he  would  pay  for  it  himself. 

"  Well,  much  as  I  have  travelled,  I  have  never  met  such 
a  gentleman  before.  Instead  of  punching  your  head,  he 
actually  gives  up  his  place  to  you,"  said  the  old  man  to 
Taras.      '  It  seems  there  are  all  sorts  of  gentlefolk,  too." 

'  Yes,  this  is  quite  a  new  and  different  world,"  thought 
Nekhludoff,  looking  at  these  spare,  sinewy,  limbs,  coarse, 
home-made  garments,  and  sunburnt,  kindly,  though  weary- 
looking  faces,  and  feeling  himself  surrounded  on  all  sides 
with  new  people  and  the  serious  interests,  joys,  and  suffer- 
ings of  a  life  of  labour. 

"  Here  is  le  vrai  grand  monde"  thought  Nekhludoff, 
remembering  the  words  of  Prince  Korchagin  and  all  that 
idle,  luxurious  world  to  which  the  Korchagins  belonged, 
with  their  petty,  mean  interests.  And  he  felt  the  joy  of 
a  traveller  on  discovering  a  new,  unknown,  and  beautiful 
world. 

END  OF  BOOK  II. 


Book  III 


CHAPTER  I. 

MASLOVA    MAKES    NEW    FRIENDS. 

The  gang  of  prisoners  to  which  Maslova  belonged  had 
walked  about  three  thousand  three  hundred  miles.  She  and 
the  other  prisoners  condemned  for  criminal  offences  had 
travelled  by  rail  and  by  steamboats  as  far  as  the  town  of 
Perm.  It  was  only  here  that  Nekhludoff  succeeded  in  ob- 
taining a  permission  for  her  to  continue  the  journey  with  the 
political  prisoners,  as  Vera  Doukhova,  who  was  among  the 
latter,  advised  him  to  do.  The  journey  up  to  Perm  had  been 
very  trying  to  Maslova  both  morally  and  physically.  Physi- 
cally, because  of  the  overcrowding,  the  dirt,  and  the  dis- 
gusting vermin,  which  gave  her  no  peace ;  morally,  because  of 
the  equally  disgusting  men.  The  men,  like  the  vermin, 
though  they  changed  at  each  halting-place,  were  everywhere 
alike  importunate ;  they  swarmed  round  her,  giving  her  no 
rest.  Among  the  women  prisoners  and  the  men  prisoners, 
the  jailers  and  the  convoy  soldiers,  the  habit  of  a  kind  of 
cynical  debauch  was  so  firmly  established  that  unless  a  fe- 
male prisoner  was  willing  to  utilise  her  position  as  a  woman 
she  had  to  be  constantly  on  the  watch.  To  be  continually  in 
a  state  of  fear  and  strife  was  very  trying.  And  Maslova  was 
specially  exposed  to  attacks,  her  appearance  being  attractive 
and  her  past  known  to  every  one.  The  decided  resistance 
with  which  she  now  met  the  importunity  of  all  the  men 
seemed  offensive  to  them,  and  awakened  another  feeling,  that 
of  ill-will  towards  her.  But  her  position  was  made  a  little 
easier  by  her  intimacy  with  Theodosia,  and  Theodosia's  hus- 
band, who,  having  heard  of  the  molestations  his  wife  was 
subject  to,  had  in  Nijni  been  arrested  at  his  own  desire  in 
order  to  be  able  to  protect  her,  and  was  now  travelling 
with  the  gang  as  a  prisoner.  Maslova's  position  became 
much  more  bearable  when  she  was  allowed  to  join  the  politi- 
cal prisoners,  who  were  provided  with  better  accommoda- 
tions, better  food,  and  were  treated  less  rudely,  but  besides 
all  this  Maslova's  condition  was  much   improved  because 


422  Resurrection 

among  the  political  prisoners  she  was  no  longer  molested  by 
the  men,  and  could  live  without  being  reminded  of  that  past 
which  she  was  so  anxious  to  forget.  But  the  chief  advantage 
of  the  change  lay  in  the  fact  that  she  made  the  acquaintance 
of  several  persons  who  exercised  a  decided  and  most  ben- 
eficial influence  on  her  character.  Maslova  was  allowed  to 
stop  with  the  political  prisoners  at  all  the  halting-places,  but 
being  a  strong  and  healthy  woman  she  was  obliged  to  march 
with  the  criminal  convicts.  In  this  way  she  walked  all  the 
way  from  Tomsk.  Two  political  prisoners  also  marched 
with  the  gang,  Mary  Pavlovna  Schetinina,  the  girl  with  the 
hazel  eyes  who  had  attracted  Nekhludoffs  attention  when  he 
had  been  to  visit  Doukhova  in  prison,  and  one  Simonson,  who 
was  on  his  way  to  the  Takoutsk  district,  the  dishevelled  dark 
young  fellow  with  deep-lying  eyes,  whom  Nekhludoff  had 
also  noticed  during  that  visit.  Mary  Pavlovna  was  walking 
because  she  had  given  her  place  on  the  cart  to  one  of  the 
criminals,  a  woman  expecting  to  be  confined,  and  Simonson 
because  he  did  not  dare  to  avail  himself  of  a  class  privilege. 

These  three  always  started  early  in  the  morning  before  the 
rest  of  the  political  prisoners,  who  followed  later  on  in  the 
carts. 

They  were  ready  to  start  in  this  way  just  outside  a  large 
town,  where  a  new  convoy  officer  had  taken  charge  of  the 

It  was  early  on  a  dull  September  morning.  It  kept  raining 
and  snowing  alternately,  and  the  cold  wind  blew  in  sudden 
gusts.  The  whole  gang  of  prisoners,  consisting  of  four  hun- 
dred men  and  fifty  women,  was  already  assembled  in  the 
court  of  the  halting  station.  Some  of  them  were  crowding 
round  the  chief  of  the  convoy,  who  was  giving  to  specially 
appointed  prisoners  money  for  two  days'  keep  to  distribute 
among  the  rest,  while  others  were  purchasing  food  from 
women  who  had  been  let  into  the  courtyard.  One  could  hear 
the  voices  of  the  prisoners  counting  their  money  and  making 
their  purchases,  and  the  shrill  voices  of  the  women  with  the 
food. 

Simonson,  in  his  rubber  jacket  and  rubber  overshoes  fast- 
ened with  a  string  over  his  worsted  stockings  (he  was  a  veg- 
etarian and  would  not  wear  the  skin  of  slaughtered  animals), 
was  also  in  the  courtyard  waiting  for  the  gang  to  start.  He 
stood  by  the  porch  and  jotted  down  in  his  notebook  a  thought 
that  had  occurred  to  him.    This  was  what  he  wrote :  "  If  a 


Resurrection  423 

bacteria  watched  and  examined  a  human  nail  it  would  pro- 
nounce it  inorganic  matter,  and  thus  we,  examining  our 
globe  and  watching  its  crust,  pronounce  it  to  be  inorganic. 
This  is  incorrect." 

Katusha  and  Mary  Pavlovna,  both  wearing  top-boots  and 
with  shawls  tied  round  their  heads,  came  out  of  the  building 
into  the  courtyard  where  the  women  sat  sheltered  from  the 
wind  by  the  northern  wall  of  the  court,  and  vied  with  one  an- 
other, offering  their  goods,  hot  meat  pie,  fish,  vermicelli, 
buckwheat  porridge,  liver,  beef,  eggs,  milk.  One  had  even  a 
roast  pig  to  offer. 

Having  bought  some  eggs,  bread,  fish,  and  some  rusks, 
Maslova  was  putting  them  into  her  bag,  while  Mary  Pav- 
lovna was  paying  the  women,  when  a  movement  arose  among 
the  convicts.  All  were  silent  and  took  their  places.  The 
officer  came  out  and  began  giving  the  last  orders  before  start- 
ing. Everything  was  done  in  the  usual  manner.  The  pris- 
oners were  counted,  the  chains  on  their  legs  examined,  and 
those  who  were  to  march  in  couples  linked  together  with 
manacles.  But  suddenly  the  angry,  authoritative  voice  of  the 
officer  shouting  something  was  heard,  also  the  sound  of  a 
blow  and  the  crying  of  a  child.  All  was  silent  for  a  moment 
and  then  came  a  hollow  murmur  from  the  crowd.  Maslova 
and  Mary  Pavlovna  advanced  towards  the  spot  whence  the 
noise  proceeded. 


424 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER  II. 

AN    INCIDENT   OF   THE    MARCH. 

This  is  what  Mary  Pavlovna  and  Katusha  saw  when  they 
came  up  to  the  scene  whence  the  noise  proceeded.  The  offi- 
cer, a  sturdy  fellow,  with  fair  moustaches,  stood  uttering 
words  of  foul  and  coarse  abuse,  and  rubbing  with  his  left 
the  palm  of  his  right  hand,  which  he  had  hurt  in  hitting  a 
prisoner  on  the  face.  In  front  of  him  a  thin,  tall  convict, 
with  half  his  head  shaved  and  dressed  in  a  cloak  too  short  for 
him  and  trousers  much  too  short,  stood  wiping  his  bleeding 
face  with  one  hand,  and  holding  a  little  shrieking  girl  wrap- 
ped in  a  shawl  with  the  other. 

"  I'll  give  it  you  "  (foul  abuse)  ;  "  I'll  teach  you  to  reason  " 
(more  abuse)  ;  "  you're  to  give  her  to  the  women !  "  shouted 
the  officer.    "  Now,  then,  on  with  them." 

The  convict,  who  was  exiled  by  the  Commune,  had  been 
carrying  his  little  daughter  all  the  way  from  Tomsk,  where 
his  wife  had  died  of  typhus,  and  now  the  officer  ordered  him 
to  be  manacled.  The  exile's  explanation  that  he  could  not 
carry  the  child  if  he  was  manacled  irritated  the  officer,  who 
happened  to  be  in  a  bad  temper,  and  he  gave  the  troublesome 
prisoner  a  beating.*  Before  the  injured  convict  stood  a  con- 
voy soldier,  and  a  black-bearded  prisoner  with  manacles  on 
one  hand  and  a  look  of  gloom  on  his  face,  which  he  turned 
now  to  the  officer,  now  to  the  prisoner  with  the  little  girl. 

The  officer  repeated  his  orders  for  the  soldiers  to  take 
away  the  girl.  The  murmur  among  the  prisoners  grew 
louder. 

"  All  the  way  from  Tomsk  they  were  not  put  on,"  came  a 
hoarse  voice  from  some  one  in  the  rear.  "  It's  a  child,  and 
not  a  puppy." 

"  What's  he  to  do  with  the  lassie  ?  That's  not  the  law," 
said  some  one  else. 

"  Who's  that  ?  "  shouted  the  officer  as  if  he  had  been  stung, 
and  rushed  into  the  crowd. 

"  I'll  teach  you  the  law.    Who  spoke.    You?    You?" 

*A  fact  described  by  Lineff  in  his  Transportation. 


Resurrection  425 

"  Everybody  says  so,  because "  said  a  short,  broad- 
faced  prisoner. 

Before  he  had  finished  speaking  the  officer  hit  him  in  the 
face. 

"Mutiny,  is  it?  I'll  show  you  what  mutiny  means.  I'll 
have  you  all  shot  like  dogs,  and  the  authorities  will  be  only 
too  thankful.    Take  the  girl." 

The  crowd  was  silent.  One  convoy  soldier  pulled  away 
the  girl,  who  was  screaming  desperately,  while  another 
manacled  the  prisoner,  who  now  submissively  held  out  his 
hand. 

"  Take  her  to  the  women,"  shouted  the  officer,  arranging 
his  sword  belt. 

The  little  girl,  whose  face  had  grown  quite  red,  was  trying 
to  disengage  her  arms  from  under  the  shawl,  and  screamed 
unceasingly.  Mary  Pavlovna  stepped  out  from  among  the 
crowd  and  came  up  to  the  officer. 

"  Will  you  allow  me  to  carry  the  little  girl?  "  she  said. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  asked  the  officer. 

"  A  political  prisoner." 

Mary  Pavlovna's  handsome  face,  with  the  beautiful  prom- 
inent eyes  (he  had  noticed  her  before  when  the  prisoners 
were  given  into  his  charge),  evidently  produced  an  effect  on 
the  officer.  He  looked  at  her  in  silence  as  if  considering,  then 
said  :  "  I  don't  care ;  carry  her  if  you  like.  It  is  "easy  for  you 
to  show  pity ;  if  he  ran  away  who  would  have  to  answer  ? ' 

"  How  could  he  run  away  with  the  child  in  his  arms?'1 
said  Mary  Pavlovna. 

"  I  have  no  time  to  talk  with  you.    Take  her  if  you  like." 

"  Shall  I  give  her?  "  asked  the  soldier. 

"  Yes,  give  her." 

"  Come  to  me,"  said  Mary  Pavlovna,  trying  to  coax  the 
child  to  come  to  her. 

But  the  child  in  the  soldier's  arms  stretched  herself 
towards  her  father  and  continued  to  scream,  and  would  not 
go  to  Mary  Pavlovna. 

"  Wait  a  bit,  Mary  Pavlovna,"  said  Maslova,  getting  a 
rusk  out  of  her  bag;  "  she  will  come  to  me." 

The  little  girl  knew  Maslova,  and  when  she  saw  her  face 
and  the  rusk  she  let  her  take  her.  All  was  quiet.  The  gates 
were  opened,  and  the  gang  stepped  out,  the  convoy  counted 
the  prisoners  over  again,  the  bags  were  packed  and  tied  on 
to  the  carts,  the  weak  seated  on  the  top.     Maslova  with  the 


426 


Resurrection 


child  in  her  arms  took  her  place  among  the  women  next  to 
Theodosia.  Simonson,  who  had  all  the  time  been  watching 
what  was  going-  on,  stepped  with  large,  determined  strides  up 
to  the  officer,  who,  having  given  his  orders,  was  just  getting 
into  a  trap,  and  said,  "  You  have  behaved  badly." 
"  Get  to  your  place ;  it  is  no  business  of  yours." 
"  It  is  my  business  to  tell  you  that  you  have  behaved  badly 
and  I  have  said  it,"  said  Simonson,  looking  intently  into  the 
officer's  face  from  under  his  bushy  eyebrows. 

"  Ready?  March !  "  the  officer  called  out,  paying  no  heed 
to  Simonson,  and,  taking  hold  of  the  driver's  shoulder,  he 
got  into  the  trap.  The  gang  started  and  spread  out  as  it 
stepped  on  to  the  muddy  high  road  with  ditches  on  each 
side,  which  passed  through  a  dense  forest. 


Resurrection  427 


CHAPTER   III. 

MARY    PAVLOVNA. 

In  spite  of  the  hard  conditions  in  which  they  were  placed, 
life  among  the  political  prisoners  seemed  very  good  to 
Katusha  after  the  depraved,  luxurious  and  effeminate  life 
she  had  led  in  town  for  the  last  six  years,  and  after  two 
months'  imprisonment  with  criminal  prisoners.  The  fifteen  to 
twenty  miles  they  did  per  day,  with  one  day's  rest  after  two 
days'  marching,  strengthened  her  physically,  and  the  fellow- 
ship with  her  new  companions  opened  out  to  her  a  life  full 
of  interests  such  as  she  had  never  dreamed  of.  People  so 
wonderful  (as  she  expressed  it)  as  those  whom  she  was 
now  going  with  she  had  not  only  never  met  but  could  not 
even  have  imagined. 

'  There  now,  and  I  cried  when  I  was  sentenced,"  she  said. 
'  Why,  I  must  thank  God  for  it  all  the  days  of  my  life.  I 
have  learned  to  know  what  I  never  should  have  found  out 
else."      . 

The  motives  she  understood  easily  and  without  effort  that 
guided  these  people,  and,  being  of  the  people,  fully  sympa- 
thised with  them.  She  understood  that  these  persons  were 
for  the  people  and  against  the  upper  classes,  and  though 
themselves  belonging  to  the  upper  classes  had  sacrificed 
their  privileges,  their  liberty  and  their  lives  for  the  people. 
This  especially  made  her  value  and  admire  them.  She  was 
charmed  with  all  the  new  companions,  but  particularly  with 
Mary  Pavlovna,  and  she  was  not  only  charmed  with  her, 
but  loved  her  with  a  peculiar,  respectful  and  rapturous  love. 
She  was  struck  by  the  fact  that  this  beautiful  girl,  the 
daughter  of  a  rich  general,  who  could  speak  three  languages, 
.gave  away  all  that  her  rich  brother  sent  her,  and  lived  like 
the  simplest  working  girl,  and  dressed  not  only  simply,  but 
poorly,  paying  no  heed  to  her  appearance.  This  trait  and 
a  complete  absence  of  coquetry  was  particularly  surprising 
and  therefore  attractive  to  Maslova.  Maslova  could  see  that 
Mary  Pavlovna  knew,  and  was  even  pleased  to  know,  that 
she  was  handsome,  and  yet  the  effect  her  appearance  had 


428 


Resurrection 


on  men  was  not  at  all  pleasing  to  her;  she  was  even  afraid 
of  it,  and  felt  an  absolute  disgust  to  all  love  affairs.  Her 
men  companions  knew  it,  and  if  they  felt  attracted  by  her 
never  permitted  themselves  to  show  it  to  her,  but  treated 
her  as  they  would  a  man ;  but  with  strangers,  who  often 
molested  her,  the  great  physical  strength  on  which  she 
prided  herself  stood  her  in  good  stead. 

"  It  happened  once,"  she  said  to  Katusha,  "  that  a  man 
followed  me  in  the  street  and  would  not  leave  me  on  any 
account.  At  last  I  gave  him  such  a  shaking  that  he  was 
frightened  and  ran  away." 

She  became  a  revolutionary,  as  she  said,  because  she  felt 
a  dislike  to  the  life  of  the  well-to-do  from  childhood  up, 
and  loved  the  life  of  the  common  people,  and  she  was  always 
being  scolded  for  spending  her  time  in  the  servants'  hall, 
in  the  kitchen  or  the  stables  instead  of  the  drawing-room. 

"  And  I  found  it  amusing  to  be  with  cooks  and  the  coach- 
men, and  dull  with  our  gentlemen  and  ladies,"  she  said. 
'  Then  when  I  came  to  understand  things  I  saw  that  our 
life  was  altogether  wrong;  I  had  no  mother  and  I  did  not 
care  for  my  father,  and  so  when  I  was  nineteen  I  left  home, 
and  went  with  a  girl  friend  to  work  as  a  factory  hand." 

After  she  left  the  factory  she  lived  in  the  country,  then 
returned  to  town  and  lived  in  a  lodging,  where  they  had 
a  secret  printing  press.  There  she  was  arrested  and  sen- 
tenced to  hard  labour.  Mary  Pavlovna  said  nothing  about  it 
herself,  but  Katusha  heard  from  others  that  Mary  Pavlovna 
was  sentenced  because,  when  the  lodging  was  searched  by 
the  police  and  one  of  the  revolutionists  fired  a  shot  in  the 
dark,  she  pleaded  guilty. 

As  soon  as  she  had  learned  to  know  Mary  Pavlovna,  Ka- 
tusha noticed  that,  whatever  the  conditions  she  found  herself 
in,  Mary  Pavlovna  never  thought  of  herself,  but  was  always 
anxious  to  serve,  to  help  some  one,  in  matters  small  or  great. 
One  of  her  present  companions,  Novodvoroff,  said  of  her 
that  she  devoted  herself  to  philanthropic  amusements.  And 
this  was  true.  The  interest  of  her  whole  life  lay  in  the 
search  for  opportunities  of  serving  others.  This  kind  of 
amusement  had  become  the  habit,  the  business  of  her  life. 
And  she  did  it  all  so  naturally  that  those  who  knew  her  no 
longer  valued,  but  simply  expected  it  of  her. 

When  Maslova  first  came  among  them,  Mary  Pavlovna 
felt  repulsed  and  disgusted.     Katusha  noticed  this,  but  she 


Resurrection  429 

also  noticed  that,  having  made  an  effort  to  overcome  these 
feelings,  Mary  Pavlovna  became  particularly  tender  and 
kind  to  her.  The  tenderness  and  kindness  of  so  uncommon 
a  being  touched  Maslova  so  much  that  she  gave  her  whole 
heart,  and  unconsciously  accepting  her  views,  could  not  help 
imitating  her  in  everything. 

This  devoted  love  of  Katusha  touched  Mary  Pavlovna 
in  her  turn,  and  she  learned  to  love  Katusha. 

These  women  were  also  united  by  the  repulsion  they  both 
felt  to  sexual  love.  The  one  loathed  that  kind  of  love,  having 
experienced  all  its  horrors,  the  other,  never  having  experi- 
enced it,  looked  on  it  as  something  incomprehensible  and  at 
the  same  time  as  something  repugnant  and  offensive  to 
human  dignity. 


43°  Resurrection 


CHAPTER   IV. 

SIMONSON. 

Mary  Pavlovna's  influence  was  one  that  Maslova  sub- 
mitted to  because  she  loved  Mary  Pavlovna.  Simonson 
influenced  her  because  he  loved  her. 

Everybody  lives  and  acts  partly  according  to  his  own, 
partly  'according  to  other  people's,  ideas.  This  is  what  con- 
stitutes one  of  the  great  differences  among  men.  To  some, 
thinking  is  a  kind  of  mental  game ;  they  treat  their  reason 
as  if  it  were  a  fly-wheel  without  a  connecting  strap,  and  are 
guided  in  their  actions  by  other  people's  ideas,  by  custom 
or  laws ;  while  others  look  upon  their  own  ideas  as  the  chief 
motive  power  of  all  their  actions,  and  always  listen  to  the 
dictates  of  their  own  reason  and  submit  to  it,  accepting 
other  people's  opinions  only  on  rare  occasions  and  after 
weighing  them  critically.  Simonson  was  a  man  of  the  latter 
sort ;  he  settled  and  verified  everything  according  to  his  own 
reason  and  acted  on  the  decisions  he  arrived  at.  When  a 
schoolboy  he  made  up  his  mind  that  his  father's  income, 
made  as  a  paymaster  in  government  office,  was  dishonestly 
gained,  and  he  told  his  father  that  it  ought  to  be  given  to 
the  people.  When  his  father,  instead  of  listening  to  him, 
gave  him  a  scolding,  he  left  his  father's  house  and  would 
not  make  use  of  his  father's  means.  Having  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  all  the  existing  misery  was  a  result  of  the 
people's  ignorance,  he  joined  the  socialists,  who  carried  on 
propaganda  among  the  people,  as  soon  as  he  left  the  univer- 
sity and  got  a  place  as  a  village  schoolmaster.  He  taught 
and  explained  to  his  pupils  and  to  the  peasants  what  he 
considered  to  be  just,  and  openly  blamed  what  he  thought 
unjust.  He  was  arrested  and  tried.  During  his  trial 
he  determined  to  tell  his  judges  that  his  was  a  just  cause, 
for  which  he  ought  not  to  be  tried  or  punished.  When  the 
judges  paid  no  heed  to  his  words,  but  went  on  with  the  trial, 
he  decided  not  to  answer  them  and  kept  resolutely  silent 
when  they  questioned  him.  He  was  exiled  to  the  Govern- 
ment of  Archangel.    There  he  formulated  a  religious  teach- 


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Resurrection  431 

ing  which  was  founded  on  the  theory  that  everything  in 
the  world  was  alive,  that  nothing  is  lifeless,  and  that  all  the 
objects  we  consider  to  be  without  life  or  inorganic  are  only 
parts  of  an  enormous  organic  body  which  we  cannot  com- 
pass. A  man's  task  is  to  sustain  the  life  of  that  huge  organ- 
ism and  all  its  animate  parts.  Therefore  he  was  against 
war,  capital  punishment  and  every  kind  of  killing,  not  only 
of  human  beings,  but  also  of  animals.  Concerning  marriage, 
too,  he  had  a  peculiar  idea  of  his  own;  he  thought  that 
increase  was  a  lower  function  of  man,  the  highest  function 
being  to  serve  the  already  existing  lives.  He  found  a  con- 
firmation cf  his  theory  in  the  fact  that  there  were  phacocytes 
in  the  blood.  Celibates,  according  to  his  opinion,  were  the 
same  as  phacocytes,  their  function  being  to  help  the  weak 
and  the  sickly  particles  of  the  organism.  From  the  moment 
he  came  to  this  conclusion  he  began  to  consider  himself  as 
well  as  Mary  Pavlovna  as  phacocytes,  and  to  live  accord- 
ingly, though  as  a  youth  he  had  been  addicted  to  vice.  His 
love  for  Katusha  did  not  infringe  this  conception,  because 
he  loved  her  platonically,  and  such  love  he  considered  could 
not  hinder  his  activity  as  a  phacocytes,  but  acted,  on  the 
contrary,  as  an  inspiration. 

Not  only  moral,  but  also  most  practical  questions  he 
decided  in  his  own  way.  He  applied  a  theory  of  his  own 
to  all  practical  business,  had  rules  relating  to  the  number 
of  hours  for  rest  and  for  work,  to  the  kind  of  food  to  eat, 
the  way  to  dress,  to  heat  and  light  up  the  rooms.  With  all 
this  Simonson  was  very  shy  and  modest ;  and  yet  when  he 
had  once  made  up  his  mind  nothing  could  make  him  waver. 
And  this  man  had  a  decided  influence  on  Maslova  through 
his  love  for  her.  With  a  woman's  instinct  Maslova  very 
soon  found  out  that  he  loved  her.  And  the  fact  that  she 
could  awaken  love  in  a  man  of  that  kind  raised  her  in  her 
own  estimation.  It  was  NekhludofFs  magnanimity  and 
what  had  been  in  the  past  that  made  him  offer  to  marry  her, 
but  Simonson  loved  her  such  as  she  was  now,  loved  her 
simply  because  of  the  love  he  bore  her.  And  she  felt  that 
Simonson  considered  her  to  be  an  exceptional  woman,  hav- 
ing peculiarly  high  moral  qualities.  She  did  not  quite  know 
what  the  qualities  he  attributed  to  her  were,  but  in  order  to 
be  on  the  safe  side  and  that  he  should  not  be  disappointed 
in  her,  she  tried  with  all  her  might  to  awaken  in  herself  all 
the  highest  qualities  she  could  conceive,  and  she  tried  to 


432 


Resurrection 


be  as  good  as  possible.  This  had  begun  while  they  were 
still  in  prison,  when  on  a  common  visiting  day  she  had 
noticed  his  kindly  dark  blue  eyes  gazing  fixedly  at  her  from 
under  his  projecting  brow.  Even  then  she  had  noticed  that 
this  was  a  peculiar  man,  and  that  he  was  looking  at  her  in 
a  peculiar  manner,  and  had  also  noticed  the  striking  com- 
bination of  sternness — the  unruly  hair  and  the  frowning 
forehead  gave  him  this  appearance — with  the  child-like  kind- 
ness and  innocence  of  his  look.  She  saw  him  again  in 
Tomsk,  where  she  joined  the  political  prisoners.  Though 
they  had  not  uttered  a  word,  their  looks  told  plainly  that 
they  had  understood  one  another.  Even  after  that  they  had 
had  no  serious  conversation  with  each  other,  but  Maslova  felt 
that  when  he  spoke  in  her  presence  his  words  were  addressed 
to  her,  and  that  he  spoke  for  her  sake,  trying  to  express 
himself  as  plainly  as  he  could ;  but  it  was  when  he  started 
walking  with  the  criminal  prisoners  that  they  grew  specially 
near  to  one  another. 


Resurrection  433 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    POLITICAL    PRISONERS. 

Until  they  left  Perm  Nekhludoff  only  twice  managed  to 
see  Katusha,  once  in  Nijni,  before  the  prisoners  were  em- 
barked on  a  barge  surrounded  with  a  wire  netting,  and 
again  in  Perm  in  the  prison  office.  At  both  these  inter- 
views he  found  her  reserved  and  unkind.  She  answered 
his  questions  as  to  whether  she  was  in  want  of  anything, 
and  whether  she  was  comfortable,  evasively  and  bashfully, 
and,  as  he  thought,  with  the  same  feeling  of  hostile  re- 
proach which  she  had  shown  several  times  before.  Her 
depressed  state  of  mind,  which  was  only  the  result  of  the 
molestations  from  the  men  that  she  was  undergoing  at  the 
time,  tormented  Nekhludoff.  He  feared  lest,  influenced  by 
the  hard  and  degrading  circumstances  in  which  she  was 
placed  on  the  journey,  she  should  again  get  into  that  state 
of  despair  and  discord  with  her  own  self  which  formerly 
made  her  irritable  with  him,  and  which  had  caused  her  to 
drink  and  smoke  excessively  to  gain  oblivion.  But  he  was 
unable  to  help  her  in  any  way  during  this  part  of  the  jour- 
ney, as  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  be  with  her.  It  was 
only  when  she  joined  the  political  prisoners  that  he  saw 
how  unfounded  his  fears  were,  and  at  each  interview  he 
noticed  that  inner  change  he  so  strongly  .desired  to  see  in 
her  becoming  more  and  more  marked.  The  first  time  they 
met  in  Tomsk  she  was  again  just  as  she  had  been  when 
leaving  Moscow.  She  did  not  frown  or  become  confused 
when  she  saw  him,  but  met  him  joyfully  and  simply,  thank- 
ing him  for  what  he  had  done  for  her,  especially  for  bring- 
ing her  among  the  people  with  whom  she  now  was. 

After  two  months'  marching  with  the  gang,  the  change 
that  had  taken  place  within  her  became  noticeable  in  her 
appearance.  She  grew  sunburned  and  thinner,  and  seemed 
older ;  wrinkles  appeared  on  her  temples  and  round  her 
mouth.  She  had  no  ringlets  on  her  forehead  now,  and 
her  hair  was  covered  with  the  kerchief ;  in  the  way  it  was 
arranged,  as  well  as  in  her  dress  and  her  manners,  there 


434 


Resurrection 


was  no  trace  of  coquetry  left.  And  this  change,  which  had 
taken  place  and  was  still  progressing  in  her,  made  Nekh- 
ludoff very  happy. 

He  felt  for  her  something  he  had  never  experienced  be- 
fore. This  feeling  had  nothing  in  common  with  his  first 
poetic  love  for  her,  and  even  less  with  the  sensual  love  that 
had  followed,  nor  even  with  the  satisfaction  of  a  duty  ful- 
filled, not  unmixed  with  self-admiration,  with  which  he  de- 
cided to  marry  her  after  the  trial.  The  present  feeling  was 
simply  one  of  pity  and  tenderness.  He  had  felt  it  when  he 
met  her  in  prison  for  the  first  time,  and  then  again  when, 
after  conquering  his  repugnance,  he  forgave  her  the  imag- 
ined intrigue  with  the  medical  assistant  in  the  hospital  (the 
injustice  done  her  had  since  been  discovered)  ;  it  was  the 
same  feeling  he  now  had,  only  with  this  difference,  that  for- 
merly it  was  momentary,  and  that  now  it  had  become  per- 
manent. Whatever  he  was  doing,  whatever  he  was  think- 
ing now,  a  feeling  of  pity  and  tenderness  dwelt  with  him, 
and  not  only  pity  and  tenderness  for  her,  but  for  everybody. 
This  feeling  seemed  to  have  opened  the  floodgates  of  love, 
which  had  found  no  outlet  in  NekhludofFs  soul,  and  the 
love  now  flowed  out  to  every  one  he  met. 

During  this  journey  NekhludofFs  feelings  were  so  stimu- 
lated that  he  could  not  help  being  attentive  and  considerate 
to  everybody,  from  the  coachman  and  the  convoy  soldiers 
to  the  prison  inspectors  and  governors  whom  he  had  to 
deal  with.  Now  that  Maslova  was  among  the  political 
prisoners,  Nekhludoff  could  not  help  becoming  acquainted 
with  many  of  them,  first  in  Ekaterinburg,  where  they  had 
a  good  deal  of  freedom  and  were  kept  altogether  in  a  large 
cell,  and  then  on  the  road  when  Maslova  was  marching  with 
three  of  the  men  and  four  of  the  women.  Coming  in  contact 
with  political  exiles  in  this  way  made  Nekhludoff  completely 
change  his  mind  concerning  them. 

From  the  very  beginning  of  the  revolutionary  move- 
ment in  Russia,  but  especially  since  that  first  of  March, 
when  Alexander  IF  was  murdered,  Nekhludoff  regarded 
the  revolutionists  with  dislike  and  contempt.  He  was  re- 
pulsed by  the  cruelty  and  secrecy  of  the  methods  they  em- 
ployed in  their  struggles  against  the  government,  especially 
the  cruel  murders  they  committed,  and  their  arrogance  also 
disgusted  him.  But  having  learned  more  intimately  to 
know  them  and  all  thev  had  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the 


Resurrection  435 

government,  he  saw  that  they  could  not  be  other  than  they 
were. 

Terrible  and  endless  as  were  the  torments  which  were  in- 
flicted on  the  criminals,  there  was  at  least  some  semblance 
of  justice  shown  them  before  and  after  they  were  sentenced, 
but  in  the  case  of  the  political  prisoners  there  was  not  even 
that  semblance,  as  Nekhludoff  saw  in  the  case  of  Shoustova 
and  that  of  many  and  many  of  his  new  acquaintances. 
These  people  were  dealt  with  like  fish  caught  with  a  net ; 
everything  that  gets  into  the  nets  is  pulled  ashore,  and  then 
the  big  fish  which  are  required  are  sorted  out  and  the  little 
ones  are  left  to  perish  unheeded  on  the  shore.  Having  cap- 
tured hundreds  that  were  evidently  guiltless,  and  that  could 
not  be  dangerous  to  the  government,  they  left  them  im- 
prisoned for  years,  where  they  became  consumptive,  went 
out  of  their  minds  or  committed  suicide,  and  kept  them 
only  because  they  had  no  inducement  to  set  them  free, 
while  they  might  be  of  use  to  elucidate  some  question  at  a 
judicial  inquiry,  safe  in  prison.  The  fate  of  these  persons, 
often  innocent  even  from  the  government  point  of  view,  de- 
pended on  the  whim,  the  humour  of,  or  the  amount  of  leis- 
ure at  the  disposal  of  some  police  officer  or  spy,  or  public 
prosecutor,  or  magistrate,  or  governor,  or  minister.  Some 
one  of  these  officials  feels  dull,  or  inclined  to  distinguish 
himself,  and  makes  a  number  of  arrests,  and  imprisons  or 
sets  free,  according  to  his  own  fancy  or  that  of  the  higher  au- 
thorities. And  the  higher  official,  actuated  by  like  motives, 
according  to  whether  he  is  inclined  to  distinguish  himself, 
or  to  what  his  relations  to  the  minister  are,  exiles  men  to 
the  other  side  of  the  world  or  keeps  them  in  solitary  con- 
finement, condemns  them  to  Siberia,  to  hard  labour,  to 
death,  or  sets  them  free  at  the  request  of  some  lady. 

They  were  dealt  with  as  in  war,  and  they  naturally  em- 
ployed the  means  that  were  used  against  them.  And  as  the 
military  men  live  in  an  atmosphere  of  public  opinion  that 
not  only  conceals  from  them  the  guilt  of  their  actions,  but 
sets  these  actions  up  as  feats  of  heroism,  so  these  political 
offenders  were  also  constantly  surrounded  by  an  atmos- 
phere of  public  opinion  which  made  the  cruel  actions  they 
committed,  in  the  face  of  danger  and  at  the  risk  of  liberty 
and  life,  and  all  that  is  dear  to  men,  seem  not  wicked  but 
glorious  actions.  Nekhludoff  found  in  this  the  explanation 
of  the  surprising  phenomenon  that  men,  with  the  mildest 


43  6  Resurrection 

characters,  who  seemed  incapable  of  witnessing  the  suffer- 
ings of  any  living  creature,  much  less  of  inflicting  pain, 
quietly  prepared  to  murder  men,  nearly  all  of  them  consid- 
ering murder  lawful  and  just  on  certain  occasions  as  a 
means  for  self-defence,  for  the  attainment  of  higher  aims 
or  for  the  general  welfare. 

The  importance  they  attribute  to  their  cause,  and  conse- 
quently to  themselves,  flowed  naturally  from  the  importance 
the  government  attached  to  their  actions,  and  the  cruelty  of 
the  punishments  it  inflicted  on  them.  When  Nekhludoff 
came  to  know  them  better  he  became  convinced  that  they 
were  not  the  right-down  villains  that  some  imagined  them 
to  be,  nor  the  complete  heroes  that  others  thought  them, 
but  ordinary  people,  just  the  same  as  others,  among  whom 
there  were  some  good  and  some  bad,  and  some  mediocre, 
as  there  are  everywhere. 

There  were  some  among  them  who  had  turned  revolu- 
tionists because  they  honestly  considered  it  their  duty  to 
fight  the  existing  evils,  but  there  were  also  those  who  chose 
this  work  for  selfish,  ambitious  motives ;  the  majority,  how- 
ever, was  attracted  to  the  revolutionary  idea  by  the  desire 
for  danger,  for  risks,  the  enjoyment  of  playing  with  one's 
life,  which,  as  Nekhludoff  knew  from  his  military  experi- 
ences, is  quite  common  to  the  most  ordinary  people  while 
they  are  young  and  full  of  energy.  But  wherein  they  dif- 
fered from  ordinary  people  was  that  their  moral  standard 
was  a  higher  one  than  that  of  ordinary  men.  They  con- 
sidered not  only  self-control,  hard  living,  truthfulness,  but 
also  the  readiness  to  sacrifice  everything,  even  life,  for  the 
common  welfare  as  their  duty.  Therefore  the  best  among 
them  stood  on  a  moral  level  that  is  not  often  reached, 
while  the  worst  were  far  below  the  ordinary  level,  many  of 
them  being  untruthful,  hypocritical  and  at  the  same  time 
self-satisfied  and  proud.  So  that  Nekhludoff  learned  not 
only  to  respect  but  to  love  some  of  his  new  acquaintances, 
while  he  remained  more  than  indifferent  to  others. 


Resurrection  437 


CHAPTER  VI. 


KRYLTZOFF  S    STORY. 


Nekhludoff  grew  especially  fond  of  Kryltzoff,  a  con- 
sumptive young  man  condemned  to  hard  labour,  who  was 
going  with  the  same  gang  as  Katusha.  Nekhludoff  had 
made  his  acquaintance  already  in  Ekaterinburg,  and  talked 
with  him  several  times  on  the  road  after  that.  Once,  in 
summer,  Nekhludoff  spent  nearly  the  whole  of  a  day  with 
him  at  a  halting  station,  and  Kryltzoff,  having  once  started 
talking,  told  him  his  story  and  how  he  had  become  a  revo- 
lutionist. Up  to  the  time  of  his^  imprisonment  his  story 
was  soon  told.  He  lost  his  father,  a  rich  landed  proprietor 
in  the  south  of  Russia,  when  still  a  child.  He  was  the  only 
son,  and  his  mother  brought  him  up.  He  learned  easily  in 
the  university,  as  well  as  the  gymnasium,  and  was  first  in 
the  mathematical  faculty  in  his  year.  He  was  offered  a 
choice  of  remaining  in  the  university  or  going  abroad.  He 
hesitated.  He  loved  a  girl  and  was  thinking  of  marriage, 
and  taking  part  in  the  rural  administration.  He  did  not 
like  giving  up  either  offer,  and  could  not  make  up  his  mind. 
At  this  time  his  fellow-students  at  the  university  asked  him 
for  money  for  a  common  cause.  He  did  not  know  that 
this  common  cause  was  revolutionary,  which  he  was  not 
interested  in  at  that  time,  but  gave  the  money  from  a  sense 
of  comradeship  and  vanity,  so  that  it  should  not  be  said  that 
he  was  afraid.  Those  who  received  the  money  were  caught, 
a  note  was  found  which  proved  that  the  money  had  been 
given  by  Kryltzoff :  he  was  arrested,  and  first  kept  at  the 
police  station,  then  imprisoned. 

'  The  prison  where  I  was  put,"  Kryltzoff  went  on  to  re- 
late (he  was  sitting  on  the  high  shelf  bedstead,  his  elbows 
on  his  knees,  with  sunken  chest,  the  beautiful,  intelligent 
eyes  with  which  he  looked  at  Nekhludoff  glistening  fever- 
ishly)— "  they  were  not  specially  strict  in  that  prison.  We 
managed  to  converse,  not  only  by  tapping  the  wall,  but 
could  walk  about  the  corridors,  share  our  provisions  and 
our  tobacco,  and  in  the  evenings  we  even  sang  in  chorus. 


438  Resurrection 

I  had  a  fine  voice — yes,  if  it  had  not  been  for  mother  it 
would  have  been  all  right,  even  pleasant  and  interesting. 
Here  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  famous  Petroflf — he 
afterwards  killed  himself  with  a  piece  of  glass  at  the  fortress 
— and  also  of  others.  But  I  was  not  yet  a  revolutionary. 
I  also  became  acquainted  with  my  neighbours  in  the  cells 
next  to  mine.  They  were  both  caught  with  Polish  proc- 
lamations and  arrested  in  the  same  cause,  and  were  tried 
for  an  attempt  to  escape  from  the  convoy  when  they  were 
being  taken  to  the  railway  station.  One  was  a  Pole,  Loz- 
insky ;  the  other  a  Jew,  Rozovsky.  Yes.  Well,  this  Roz- 
ovsky was  quite  a  boy.  He  said  he  was  seventeen,  but  he 
looked  fifteen — thin,  small,  active,  with  black,  sparkling 
eyes,  and,  like  most  Jews,  very  musical.  His  voice  was 
still  breaking,  and  yet  he  sang  beautifully.  Yes.  I  saw 
them  both  taken  to  be  tried.  They  were  taken  in  the  morn- 
ing. They  returned  in  the  evening,  and  said  they  were 
condemned  to  death.  No  one  had  expected  it.  Their  case 
was  so  unimportant ;  they  only  tried  to  get  away  from  the 
convoy,  and  had  not  even  wounded  any  one.  And  then  it 
was  so  unnatural  to  execute  such  a  child  as  Rozovsky.  And 
we  in  prison  all  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  only  done 
to  frighten  them,  and  would  not  be  confirmed.  At  first  we 
were  excited,  and  then  we  comforted  ourselves,  and  life 
went  on  as  before.  Yes.  Well,  one  evening,  a  watchman 
comes  to  my  door  and  mysteriously  announces  to  me  that 
carpenters  had  arrived,  and  were  putting  up  the  gallows. 
At  first  I  did  not  understand.  What's  that?  What  gal- 
lows ?  But  the  watchman  was  so  excited  that  I  saw  at  once 
it  was  for  our  two.  I  wished  to  tap  and  communicate  with 
my  comrades,  but  was  afraid  those  two  would  hear.  The 
comrades  were  also  silent.  Evidently  everybody  knew.  In 
the  corridors  and  in  the  cells  everything  was  as  still  as  death 
all  that  evening.  They  did  not  tap  the  wall  nor  sing.  At 
ten  the  watchman  came  again  and  announced  that  a  hang- 
man had  arrived  from  Moscow.  He  said  it  and  went  away. 
I  began  calling  him  back.  Suddenly  I  hear  Rozovsky  shout- 
ing to  me  across  the  corridor:  'What's  the  matter?  Why 
do  you  call  him  ?  '  I  answered  something  about  asking  him 
to  get  me  some  tobacco,  but  he  seemed  to  guess,  and  asked 
me :  '  Why  did  we  not  sing  to-night,  why  did  we  not  tap 
the  walls  ?  '  I  do  not  remember  what  I  said,  but  I  went 
away  so  as  not  to  speak  to  him.     Yes.     It  was  a  terrible 


Resurrection 


439 


night.      I    listened   to   every   sound   all   night.      Suddenly, 
towards  morning,  I  hear  doors  opening  and  somebody  walk- 
ing— many  persons.    I  went  up  to  my  window.    There  was 
a  lamp  burning  in  the  corridor.     The  first  to  pass  was  the 
inspector.    He  was  stout,  and  seemed  a  resolute,  self-satis- 
fied man,  but  he  looked  ghastly  pale,  downcast,  and  seemed 
frightened ;  then  his  assistant,  frowning  but  resolute ;  be- 
hind them  the  watchman.     They    passed    my    door    and 
stopped  at  the  next,  and  I  hear  the  assistant  calling  out  in 
a  strange  voice :  '  Lozinsky,  get  up  and  put  on  clean  linen.' 
Yes.     Then  I  hear  the  creaking  of  the  door;  they  entered 
into  his  cell.    Then  I  hear  Lozinsky's  steps  going  to  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  corridor.     I  could  only  see  the  inspector. 
He  stood  quite  pale,  and  buttoned  and  unbuttoned  his  coat, 
shrugging  his  shoulders.     Yes.     Then,  as  if  frightened  of 
something,  he  moved  out  of  the  way.    It  was  Lozinsky,  who 
passed  him  and  came  up  to  my  door.    A  handsome  young 
fellow  he  was,  you  know,  of  that  nice  Polish  type :  broad 
shouldered,  his  head  covered  with  fine,  fair,  curly  hair  as 
with  a  cap,  and  with  beautiful  blue  eyes.     So  blooming,  so 
fresh,  so  healthy.     He  stopped  in  front  of  my  window,  so 
that  I  could  see  the  whole  of  his  face.    A  dreadful,  gaunt, 
livid  face.    '  Kryltzoff,  have  you  any  cigarettes  ?  '    I  wished 
to  pass  him  some,  but  the  assistant  hurriedly  pulled  out  his 
cigarette  case  and  passed  it  to  him.     He  took  out  one,  the 
assistant  struck  a  match,  and  he  lit  the  cigarette  and  began 
to  smoke  and  seemed  to  be  thinking.     Then,  as  if  he  had 
remembered  something,  he  began  to  speak.    '  It  is  cruel  and 
unjust.    I   have  committed  no  crime.     I — '    I   saw  some- 
thing quiver  in  his  white  young  throat,  from  which  I  could 
not  take  my  eyes,  and  he  stopped.    Yes.    At  that  moment 
I  hear  Rozovsky  shouting  in  his  fine,  Jewish  voice.    Lozin- 
sky threw  away  the  cigarette  and  stepped  from  the  door. 
And  Rozovsky  appeared  at  the  window.     His  childish  face, 
with  the  limpid  black  eyes,  was  red  and  moist.     He  also 
had  clean  linen  on,  the  trousers  were  too  wide,  and  he  kept 
pulling  them  up  and  trembled  all  over.     He  approached  his 
pitiful  face  to  my  window.     '  Kryltzoff,  it's  true  that  the 
doctor  has  prescribed  cough  mixture  for  me,  is  it  not?     I 
am  not  well.    I'll  take  some  more  of  the  mixture.'   No  one 
answered,  and  he  looked  inquiringly,  now  at  me,  now  at 
the  inspector.     What  he  meant  to  say  I  never  made  out. 
Yes.     Suddenly  the  assistant  again  put  on  a  stern  expres- 


44°  Resurrection 

sion,  and  called  out  in  a  kind  of  squeaking  tone :  '  Now, 
then,  no  nonsense.  Let  us  go.'  Rozovsky  seemed  incapa- 
ble of  understanding  what  awaited  him,  and  hurried,  almost 
ran,  in  front  of  him  all  along  the  corridor.  But  then  he 
drew  back,  and  I  could  hear  his  shrill  voice  and  his  cries, 
then  the  trampling  of  feet,  and  general  hubbub.  He  was 
shrieking  and  sobbing.  The  sounds  came  fainter  and 
fainter,  and  at  last  the  door  rattled  and  all  was  quiet.  Yes. 
And  so  they  hanged  them.  Throttled  them  both  with  a 
rope.  A  watchman,  another  one,  saw  it  done,  and  told  me 
that  Lozinsky  did  not  resist,  but  Rozovsky  struggled  for  a 
long  time,  so  that  they  had  to  pull  him  up  on  to  the  scaffold 
and  to  force  his  head  into  the  noose.  Yes.  This  watchman 
was  a  stupid  fellow.  He  said :  '  They  told  me,  sir,  that  it 
would  be  frightful,  but  it  was  not  at  all  frightful.  After 
they  were  hanged  they  only  shrugged  their  shoulders  twice, 
like  this.'  He  showed  how  the  shoulders  convulsively  rose 
and  fell.  '  Then  the  hangman  pulled  a  bit  so  as  to  tighten 
the  noose,  and  it  was  all  up,  and  they  never  budged.'  "  And 
Kryltzoff  repeated  the  watchman's  words,  "  Not  at  all  fright- 
ful," and  tried  to  smile,  but  burst  into  sobs  instead. 

For  a  long  time  after  that  he  kept  silent,  breathing  heav- 
ily, and  repressing  the  sobs  that  were  choking  him. 

"  From  that  time  I  became  a  revolutionist.  Yes,"  he 
said,  when  he  was  quieter  and  finished  his  story  in  a  few 
words.  He  belonged  to  the  Narodovoltzy  party,  and  was 
even  at  the  head  of  the  disorganising  group,  whose  object 
was  to  terrorise  the  government  so  that  it  should  give  up 
its  power  of  its  own  accord.  With  this  object  he  travelled 
to  Petersburg,  to  Kiev,  to  Odessa  and  abroad,  and  was 
everywhere  successful.  A  man  in  whom  he  had  full  con- 
fidence betrayed  him.  He  was  arrested,  tried,  kept  in  prison 
for  two  years,  and  condemned  to  death,  but  the  sentence 
was  mitigated  to  one  of  hard  labour  for  life. 

He  went  into  consumption  while  in  prison,  and  in  the 
conditions  he  was  now  placed  he  had  scarcely  more  than 
a  few  months  longer  to  live.  This  he  knew,  but  did  not  re- 
pent of  his  action,  but  said  that  if  he  had  another  life  he 
would  use  it  in  the  same  way  to  destroy  the  conditions  in 
which  such  things  as  he  had  seen  were  possible. 

This  man's  story  and  his  intimacy  with  him  explained  to 
Nekhludoff  much  that  he  had  not  previously  understood. 


Resurrection  441 


CHAPTER   VII. 

NEKHLUDOFF    SEEKS    AN    INTERVIEW    WITH    MASLOVA. 

On  the  day  when  the  convoy  officer  had  the  encounter 
with  the  prisoners  at  the  halting  station  about  the  child, 
Nekhludoff,  who  had  spent  the  night  at  the  village  inn,  woke 
up  late,  and  was  some  time  writing  letters  to  post  at  the  next 
Government  town,  so  that  he  left  the  inn  later  than  usual, 
and  did  not  catch  up  with  the  gang  on  the  road  as  he  had 
done  previously,  but  came  to  the  village  where  the  next 
halting  station  was  as  it  was  growing  dusk. 

Having  dried  himself  at  the  inn,  which  was  kept  by  an 
elderly  woman  who  had  an  extraordinarily  fat,  white  neck, 
he  had  his  tea  in  a  clean  room  decorated  with  a  great  number 
of  icons  and  pictures  and  then  hurried  away  to  the  halting 
station  to  ask  the  officer  for  an  interview  with  Katusha. 
At  the  last  six  halting  stations  he  could  not  get  the  permis- 
sion for  an  interview  from  any  of  the  officers.  Though  they 
had  been  changed  several  times,  not  one  of  them  would 
allow  Nekhludoff  inside  the  halting  stations,  so  that  he  had 
not  seen  Katusha  for  more  than  a  week.  This  strictness 
was  occasioned  by  the  fact  that  an  important  prison  official 
was  expected  to  pass  that  way.  Now  this  official  had  passed 
without  looking  in  at  the  gang,  after  all,  and  Nekhludoff 
hoped  that  the  officer  who  had  taken  charge  of  the  gang  in 
the  morning  would  allow  him  an  interview  with  the  pris- 
oners, as  former  officers  had  done. 

The  landlady  offered  Nekhludoff  a  trap  to  drive  him  to 
the  halting  station,  situated  at  the  farther  end  of  the  village, 
but  Nekhludoff  preferred  to  walk.  A  young  labourer,  a 
broad-shouldered  young  fellow  of  herculean  dimensions, 
with  enormous  top-boots  freshly  blackened  with  strongly 
smelling  tar,  offered  himself  as  a  guide. 

A  dense  mist  obscured  the  sky,  and  it  was  so  dark  that 
when  the  young  fellow  was  three  steps  in  advance  of  him 
Nekhludoff  could  not  see  him  unless  the  light  of  some 
window  happened  to  fall  on  the  spot,  but  he  could  hear  the 
heavy  boots  wading  through  the  deep,  sticky  slush.     After 


442  Resurrection 

passing  the  open  place  in  front  of  the  church  and  the  long 
street,  with  its  rows  of  windows  shining  brightly  in  the 
darkness,  Nekhludoff  followed  his  guide  to  the  outskirts 
of  the  village,  where  it  was  pitch  dark.  But  soon  here,  too, 
rays  of  light,  streaming  through  the  mist  from  the  lamps 
in  the  front  of  the  halting  station,  became  discernible 
through  the  darkness.  The  reddish  spots  of  light  grew 
bigger  and  bigger;  at  last  the  stakes  of  the  palisade,  the 
moving  figure  of  the  sentinel,  a  post  painted  with  white  and 
black  stripes  and  the  sentinel's  box  became  visible. 

The  sentinel  called  his  usual  "Who  goes  there?"  as 
they  approached,  and  seeing  they  were  strangers  treated 
them  with  such  severity  that  he  would  not  allow  them  to 
wait  by  the  palisade ;  but  Nekhludoff 's  guide  was  not 
abashed  by  this  severity. 

'  Hallo,  lad!  why  so  fierce?  You  go  and  rouse  your  boss 
while  we  wait  here  ?  " 

The  sentinel  gave  no  answer,  but  shouted  something  in 
at  the  gate  and  stood  looking  at  the  broad-shouldered  young 
labourer  scraping  the  mud  off  Nekhludoff's  boots  with  a 
chip  of  wood  by  the  light  of  the  lamp.  From  behind  the 
palisade  came  the  hum  of  male  and  female  voices.  In  about 
three  minutes  more  something  rattled,  the  gate  opened,  and 
a  sergeant,  with  his  cloak  thrown  over  his  shoulders,  stepped 
out  of  the  darkness  into  the  lamplight. 

The  sergeant  was  not  as  strict  as  the  sentinel,  but  he  was 
extremely  inquisitive.  He  insisted  on  knowing  what  Nekh- 
ludoff wanted  the  officer  for,  and  who  he  was,  evidently 
scenting  his  booty  and  anxious  not  to  let  it  escape.  Nekhlu- 
doff said  he  had  come  on  special  business,  and  would  show 
his  gratitude,  and  would  the  sergeant  take  a  note  for  him 
to  the  officer.  The  sergeant  took  the  note,  nodded,  and  went 
away.  Some  time  after  the  gate  rattled  again,  and  women 
carrying  baskets,  boxes,  jugs  and  sacks  came  out,  loudly 
chattering  in  their  peculiar  Siberian  dialect  as  they  stepped 
over  the  threshold  of  the  gate.  None  of  them  wore  peasant 
costumes,  but  were  dressed  town  fashion,  wearing  jackets 
and  fur-lined  cloaks.  Their  skirts  were  tucked  up  high,  and 
their  heads  wrapped  up  in  shawls.  They  examined  Nekhlu- 
doff and  his  guide  curiously  by  the  light  of  the  lamp.  One 
of  them  showed  evident  pleasure  at  the  sight  of  the  broad- 
shouldered  fellow,  and  affectionately  administered  to  him 
a  dose  of  Siberian  abuse. 


Resurrection  443 

"You  demon,  what  are  you  doing  here?  The  devil  take 
you,"  she  said,  addressing  him. 

"  I've  been  showing  this  traveller  here  the  way,"  answered 
the  young  fellow.  "  And  what  have  you  been  bringing 
here  ?  " 

"  Dairy  produce,  and  I  am  to  bring  more  in  the  morning." 

The  guide  said  something  in  answer  that  made  not  only 
the  women  but  even  the  sentinel  laugh,  and,  turning  to 
Nekhludoff ,  he  said  : 

"  You'll  find  your  way  alone?    Won't  get  lost,  will  you?  ': 

"  I  shall  find  it  all  right." 

"  When  you  have  passed  the  church  it's  the  second  from 
the  two-storied  house.  Oh,  and  here,  take  my  staff,"  he 
said,  handing  the  stick  he  was  carrying,  and  which  was 
longer  than  himself,  to  Nekhludoff;  and  splashing  through 
the  mud  with  his  enormous  boots,  he  disappeared  in  the 
darkness,  together  with  the  women. 

His  voice  mingling  with  the  voices  of  the  women  was 
still  audible  through  the  fog,  when  the  gate  again  rattled, 
and  the  sergeant  appeared  and  asked  Nekhludoff  to  follow 
him  to  the  officer. 


444  Resurrection 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

NEKHLUDOFF    AND    THE   OFFICER. 

This  halting  station,  like  all  such  stations  along  the 
Siberian  road,  was  surrounded  by  a  courtyard,  fenced  in 
with  a  palisade  of  sharp-pointed  stakes,  and  consisted  of 
three  one-storied  houses.  One  of  them,  the  largest,  with 
grated  windows,  was  for  the  prisoners,  another  for  the 
convoy  soldiers,  and  the  third,  in  which  the  office  was,  for 
the  officers. 

There  were  lights  in  the  windows  of  all  the  three  houses, 
and,  like  all  such  lights,  they  promised,  here  in  a  specially 
deceptive  manner,  something  cosy  inside  the  walls.  Lamps 
were  burning  before  the  porches  of  the  houses  and  about 
five  lamps  more  along  the  walls  lit  up  the  yard. 

The  sergeant  led  Nekhludoff  along  a  plank  which  lay 
across  the  yard  up  to  the  porch  of  the  smallest  of  the  houses. 

When  he  had  gone  up  the  three  steps  of  the  porch  he  let 
Nekhludoff  pass  before  him  into  the  ante-room,  in  which 
a  small  lamp  was  burning,  and  which  was  filled  with  smoky 
fumes.  By  the  stove  a  soldier  in  a  coarse  shirt  with  a  necktie 
and  black  trousers,  and  with  one  top-boot  on,  stood  blowing 
the  charcoal  in  a  somovar,  using  the  other  boot  as  bellows.* 
When  he  saw  Nekhludoff,  the  soldier  left  the  somovar  and 
helped  him  off  with  his  waterproof ;  then  went  into  the  inner 
room. 

"  He  has  come,  your  honour." 

"  Well,  ask  him  in,"  came  an  angry  voice. 

"  Go  in  at  the  door,"  said  the  soldier,  and  went  back  to 
the  somovar. 

In  the  next  room  an  officer  with  fair  moustaches  and  a 
very  red  face,  dressed  in  an  Austrian  jacket  that  closely 
fitted  his  broad  chest  and  shoulders,  sat  at  a  covered  table, 
on  which  were  the  remains  of  his  dinner  and  two  bottles ; 
there  was  a  strong  smell  of  tobacco  and  some  very  strong, 

*  The  long  boots  worn  in  Russia  have  concertina-like  sides,  and 
when  held  to  the  chimney  of  the  somovar  (tea  urn)  can  be  used  in- 
stead of  bellows  to  make  the  charcoal  inside  burn  up. 


Resurrection  445 

cheap  scent  in  the  warm  room.  On  seeing  Nekhludoff  the 
officer  rose  and  gazed  ironically  and  suspiciously,  as  it 
seemed,  at  the  newcomer. 

"  What  is  it  you  want?  "  he  asked,  and,  not  waiting  for 
a  reply,  he  shouted  through  the  open  door : 

"  Bernoff,  the  somovar!     What  are  you  about?  " 

"  Coming  at  once." 

"  You'll  get  it  '  at  once '  so  that  you'll  remember  it," 
shouted  the  officer,  and  his  eyes  flashed. 

"  I'm  coming,"  shouted  the  soldier,  and  brought  in  the 
somovar.  Nekhludoff  waited  while  the  soldier  placed  the 
somovar  on  the  table.  When  the  officer  had  followed  the 
soldier  out  of  the  room  with  his  cruel  little  eyes  looking  as 
if  they  were  aiming  where  best  to  hit  him,  he  made  the  tea, 
got  the  four-cornered  decanter  out  of  his  travelling  case 
and  some  Albert  biscuits,  and  having  placed  all  this  on  the 
cloth  he  again  turned  to  Nekhludoff.  "  Well,  how  can  I 
be  of  service  to  you  ?  " 

"  I  should  like  to  be  allowed  to  visit  a  prisoner,"  said 
Nekhludoff,  without  sitting  down. 

"  A  political  one?  That's  forbidden  by  the  law,"  said  the 
officer. 

"  The  woman  I  mean  is  not  a  political  prisoner,"  said 
Nekhludoff. 

"  Yes.  But  pray  take  a  seat,"  said  the  officer.  Nekhludoff 
sat  down. 

"  She  is  not  a  political  one,  but  at  my  request  she  has  been 
allowed  by  the  higher  authorities  to  join  the  political  prison- 
ers  "    • 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  know,"  interrupted  the  other ;  "  a  little  dark 
one  ?    Well,  yes,  that  can  be  managed.    Won't  you  smoke  ?  ' 
He  moved  a  box  of  cigarettes  towards  Nekhludoff,  and,  hav- 
ing carefully  poured  out  two  tumblers  of  tea,  he  passed  one 
to  Nekhludoff.    "  If  you  please,"  he  said. 

"  Thank  you  ;  I  should  like  to  see " 

"  The  night  is  long.  You'll  have  plenty  of  time.  I  shall 
order  her  to  be  sent  out  to  you." 

"But  could  I  not  see  her  where  she  is?  Why  need  she 
be  sent  for?  "  Nekhludoff  said. 

"  In  to  the  political  prisoners?    It  is  against  the  law." 

"  I  have  been  allowed  to  go  in  several  times.  If  there  is 
any  danger  of  my  passing  anything  in  to  them  I  could  do.it 
through  her  just  as  well." 


446  Resurrection 

"  Oh,  no ;  she  would  be  searched,"  said  the  officer,  and 
laughed  in  an  unpleasant  manner. 

"  Well,  why  not  search  me?  " 

"  All  right ;  we'll  manage  without  that,"  said  the  officer, 
opening  the  decanter,  and  holding  it  out  towards  Nekhlu- 
doff's  tumbler  of  tea.  May  I?  No?  Well,  just  as  you 
like.  When  you  are  living  here  in  Siberia  you  are  too  glad 
to  meet  an  educated  person.  Our  work,  as  you  know,  is  the 
saddest,  and  when  one  is  used  to  better  things  it  is  very 
hard.  The  idea  they  have  of  us  is  that  convoy  officers  are 
coarse,  uneducated  men,  and  no  one  seems  to  remember 
that  we  may  have  been  born  for  a  very  different  position." 

This  officer's  red  face,  his  scents,  his  rings,  and  especially 
his  unpleasant  laughter  disgusted  Nekhludoff  very  much, 
but  to-day,  as  during  the  whole  of  his  journey,  he  was  in 
that  serious,  attentive  state  which  did  not  allow  him  to 
behave  slightingly  or  disdainfully  towards  any  man,  but 
made  him  feel  the  necessity  of  speaking  to  every  one 
"  entirely,"  as  he  expressed  to  himself,  this  relation  to  men. 
When  he  had  heard  the  officer  and  understood  his  state  of 
mind,  he  said  in  a  serious  manner : 

"  I  think  that  in  your  position,  too,  some  comfort  could 
be  found  in  helping  the  suffering  people,"  he  said. 

'  What  are  their  sufferings  ?  You  don't  know  what  these 
people  are." 

'  They  are  not  special  people,"  said  Nekhludoff ;  "  they 
are  just  such  people  as  others,  and  some  of  them  are  quite 
innocent." 

"  Of  course,  there  are  all  sorts  among  them,  and  naturally 
one  pities  them.  Others  won't  let  anything  off,  but  I  try  to 
lighten  their  condition  where  I  can.  It's  better  that  I  should 
suffer,  but  not  they.  Others  keep  to  the  law  in  every  detail, 
even  as  far  as  to  shoot,  but  I  show  pity.  May  I? — Take 
another,"  he  said,  and  poured  out  another  tumbler  of  tea 
for  Nekhludoff. 

"  And  who  is  she,  this  woman  that  you  want  to  see?  "  he 
asked. 

"  It  is  an  unfortunate  woman  who  got  into  a  brothel,  and 
was  there  falsely  accused  of  poisoning,  and  she  is  a  very 
good  woman,"  Nekhludoff  answered. 

The  officer  shook  his  head.  "  Yes,  it  does  happen.  I  can 
tell  you  about  a  certain  Emma  who  lived  in  Kasan.  She 
was  a  Hungarian  by  birth,  but  she  had  quite  Persian  eyes," 


Resurrection  447 

he  continued,  unable  to  restrain  a  smile  at  the  recollection ; 
"  there  was  so  much  chic  about  her  that  a  countess " 

Nekhludoff  interrupted  the  officer  and  returned  to  the 
former  topic  of  conversation. 

'  I  think  that  you  could  lighten  the  condition  of  the  people 
while  they  are  in  your  charge.  And  in  acting  that  way  I 
am  sure  you  would  find  great  joy !  "  said  Nekhludoff,  try- 
ing to  pronounce  as  distinctly  as  possible,  as  he  might  if  talk- 
ing to  a  foreigner  or  a  child. 

The  officer  looked  at  Nekhludoff  impatiently,  waiting  for 
him  to  stop  so  as  to  continue  the  tale  about  the  Hungarian 
with  Persian  eyes,  who  evidently  presented  herself  very 
vividly  to  his  imagination  and  quite  absorbed  his  attention. 

'  Yes,  of  course,  this  is  all  quite  true,"  he  said,  "  and  I  do 
pity  them ;  but  I  should  like  to  tell  you  about  Emma.  What 
do  you  think  she  did ?  " 

"  It  does  not  interest  me,"  said  Nekhludoff,  "  and  I  will  tell 
you  straight,  that  though  I  was  myself  very  different  at  one 
time,  I  now  hate  that  kind  of  relation  to  women." 

The  officer  gave  Nekhludoff  a  frightened  look. 

'  Won't  vou  take  some  more  tea  ?  "  he  said. 

"  No,  thank  you." 

"  Bernoff !  '"  the  officer  called,  "  take  the  gentleman  to 
Vakouloff.  Tell  him  to  let  him  into  the  separate  political 
room.    He  may  remain  there  till  the  inspection." 


448 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER  IX. 

* 

THE    POLITICAL    PRISONERS. 

Accompanied  by  the  orderly,  Nekhludoff  went  out  into 
the  courtyard,  which  was  dimly  lit  up  by  the  red  light  of  the 
lamps. 

"  Where  to  ?  "  asked  the  convoy  sergeant,  addressing  the 
orderly. 

"  Into  the  separate  cell,  No.  5." 

"  You  can't  pass  here ;  the  boss  has  gone  to  the  village  and 
taken  the  keys." 

"  Well,  then,  pass  this  way." 

The  soldier  led  Nekhludoff  along  a  board  to  another  en- 
trance. While  still  in  the  yard  Nekhludoff  could  hear  the 
din  of  voices  and  general  commotion  going  on  inside  as  in  a 
beehive  when  the  bees  are  preparing  to  swarm ;  but  when  he 
came  nearer  and  the  door  opened  the  din  grew  louder,  and 
changed  into  distinct  sounds  of  shouting,  abuse  and  laughter. 
He  heard  the  clatter  of  chairs  and  smelt  the  well-known  foul 
air.  This  din  of  voices  and  the  clatter  of  the  chairs,  together 
with  the  close  smell,  always  flowed  into  one  tormenting  sen- 
sation, and  produced  in  Nekhludoff  a  feeling  of  moral  nausea 
which  grew  into  physical  sickness,  the  two  feelings  mingling 
with  and  heightening  each  other. 

The  first  thing  Nekhludoff  saw,  on  entering,  was  a  large, 
stinking  tub.  A  corridor  into  which  several  doors  opened  led 
from  the  entrance.  The  first  was  the  family  room,  then  the 
bachelors'  room,  and  at  the  very  end  two  small  rooms  were 
set  apart  for  the  political  prisoners. 

The  buildings,  which  were  arranged  to  hold  one  hundred 
and  fifty  prisoners,  now  that  there  were  four  hundred  and 
fifty  inside,  were  so  crowded  that  the  prisoners  could  not  all 
get  into  the  rooms,  but  filled  the  passage,  too.  Some  were 
sitting  or  lying  on  the  floor,  some  were  going  out  with  empty 
teapots,  or  bringing  them  back  filled  with  boiling  water. 
Among  the  latter  was  Taras.  He  overtook  Nekhludoff  and 
greeted  him  affectionatelv.  The  kind  face  of  Taras  was  dis- 
figured  by  dark  bruises  on  his  nose  and  under  his  eye. 


Resurrection  449 

"  What  has  happened  to  you  ?  "  asked  Nekhludoff . 

"  Yes,  something  did  happen,"  Taras  said,  with  a  smile. 

"  All  because  of  the  woman,"  added  a  prisoner,  who  fol- 
lowed Taras ;  "  he's  had  a  row  with  Blind  Fedka." 

"  And  how's  Theodosia  ?  " 

"  She's  all  right.  Here  I  am  bringing  her  the  water  for 
her  tea,"  Taras  answered,  and  went  into  the  family  room. 

Nekhludoff  looked  in  at  the  door.  The  room  was  crowded 
with  women  and  men,  some  of  whom  were  on  and  some 
under  the  bedsteads ;  it  was  full  of  steam  from  the  wet  clothes 
that  were  drying,  and  the  chatter  of  women's  voices  was  un- 
ceasing. The  next  door  led  into  the  bachelors'  room.  This 
room  was  still  more  crowded ;  even  the  doorway  and  the 
passage  in  front  of  it  were  blocked  by  a  noisy  crowd  of  men, 
in  wet  garments,  busy  doing  or  deciding  something  or  other. 

The  convoy  sergeant  explained  that  it  was  the  prisoner 
appointed  to  buy  provisions,  paying  off  out  of  the  food  money 
what  was  owing  to  a  sharper  who  had  won  from  or  lent 
money  to  the  prisoners,  and  receiving  back  little  tickets 
made  of  playing  cards.  When  they  saw  the  convoy  soldier 
and  a  gentleman,  those  who  were  nearest  became  silent,  and 
followed  them  with  looks  of  ill-will.  Among  them  Nekhlu- 
doff noticed  the  criminal  Fedoroff,  whom  he  knew,  and  who 
always  kept  a  miserable  lad  with  a  swelled  appearance  and 
raised  eyebrows  beside  him,  and  also  a  disgusting,  noseless, 
pock-marked  tramp,  who  was  notorious  among  the  prisoners 
because  he  killed  his  comrade  in  the  marshes  while  trying  to 
escape,  and  had,  as  it  was  rumoured,  fed  on  his  flesh.  The 
tramp  stood  in  the  passage  with  his  wet  cloak  thrown  over 
one  shoulder,  looking  mockingly  and  boldly  at  Nekhludoff, 
and  did  not  move  out  of  the  way.    Nekhludoff  passed  him  by. 

Though  this  kind  of  scene  had  now  become  quite  familiar 
to  him,  though  he  had  during  the  last  three  months  seen 
these  four  hundred  criminal  prisoners  over  and  over  again 
in  many  different  circumstances ;  in  the  heat,  enveloped  in 
clouds  of  dust  which  they  raised  as  they  dragged  their 
chained  feet  along  the  road,  and  at  the  resting  places  by  the 
way,  where  the  most  horrible  scenes  of  barefaced  debauchery 
had  occurred,  yet  every  time  he  came  among  them,  and  felt 
their  attention  fixed  upon  him  as  it  was  now,  shame  and  con- 
sciousness of  his  sin  against  them  tormented  him.  To  this 
sense  of  shame  and  guilt  was  added  an  unconquerable  feeling 
of  loathing  and  horror.    He  knew  that,  placed  in  a  position 


45  o  Resurrection 

such  as  theirs,  they  could  not  be  other  than  they  were,  and 
yet  he  was  unable  to  stifle  his  disgust. 

"  It's  well  for  them  do-nothings,"  Nekhludoff  heard  some 
one  say  in  a  hoarse  voice  as  he  approached  the  room  of  the 
political  prisoners.  Then  followed  a  word  of  obscene  abuse, 
and  spiteful,  mocking  laughter. 


Resurrection  45 1 


CHAPTER  X. 

MAKAR   DEVKIN. 

When  they  had  passed  the  bachelors'  room  the  sergeant 
who  accompanied  Nekhludoff  left  him,  promising-  to  come 
for  him  before  the  inspection  would  take  place.  As  soon  as 
the  sergeant  was  gone  a  prisoner,  quickly  stepping  with  his 
bare  feet  and  holding  up  the  chains,  came  close  up  to  Nekh- 
ludoff, enveloping  him  in  the  strong,  acid  smell  of  perspira- 
tion, and  said  in  a  mysterious  whisper : 

"  Help  the  lad,  sir ;  he's  got  into  an  awful  mess.  Been 
drinking.  To-day  he's  given  his  name  as  Karmanoff  at  the 
inspection.  Take  his  part,  sir.  We  dare  not,  or  they'll  kill 
us,"  and  looking  uneasily  round  he  turned  away. 

This  is  what  had  happened.  The  criminal  Kalmanoff  had 
persuaded  a  young  fellow  who  resembled  him  in  appearance 
and  was  sentenced  to  exile  to  change  names  with  him  and  go 
to  the  mines  instead  of  him,  while  he  only  went  to  exile. 
Nekhludoff  knew  all  this.  Some  convict  had  told  him  about 
this  exchange  the  week  before.  He  nodded  as  a  sign  that  he 
understood  and  would  do  what  was  in  his  power,  and  con- 
tinued his  way  without  looking  round. 

Nekhludoff"  knew  this  convict,  and  was  surprised  by  his 
action.  When  in  Ekaterinburg  the  convict  had  asked  Nekh- 
ludoff to  get  a  permission  for  his  wife  to  follow  him.  The 
convict  was  a  man  of  medium  size  and  of  the  most  ordinary 
peasant  type,  about  thirty  years  old.  He  was  condemned 
to  hard  labour  for  an  attempt  to  murder  and  rob.  His 
name  was  Makar  Devkin.  His  crime  was  a  very  curious 
one.  In  the  account  he  gave  of  it  to  Nekhludoff,  he  said  it 
was  not  his  but  his  devil's  doing.  He  said  that  a  traveller 
had  come  to  his  father's  house  and  hired  his  sledge  to  drive 
him  to  a  village  thirty  miles  off  for  two  roubles.  Makar's 
father  told  him  to  drive  the  stranger.  Makar  harnessed  the 
horse,  dressed,  and  sat  down  to  drink  tea  with  the  stranger. 
The  stranger  related  at  the  tea-table  that  he  was  going  to  be 
married  and  had  five  hundred  roubles,  which  he  had  earned 
in  Moscow,  with  him.    When  he  had  heard  this,  Makar  went 


45 2  Resurrection 

out  into  the  yard  and  put  an  axe  into  the  sledge  under  the 
straw.  "  And  I  did  not  myself  know  why  I  was  taking  the 
axe,"  he  said.  "  '  Take  the  axe,'  says  he,  and  I  took  it.  We 
got  in  and  started.  We  drove  along  all  right ;  I  even  forgot 
about  the  axe.  Well,  we  were  getting  near  the  village ;  only 
about  four  miles  more  to  go.  The  way  from  the  cross-road 
to  the  high  road  was  up  hill,  and  I  got  out.  I  walked  behind 
the  sledge  and  he  whispers  to  me,  '  What  are  you  thinking 
about?  When  you  get  to  the  top  of  the  hill  you  will  meet 
people  along  the  highway,  and  then  there  will  be  the  village. 
He  will  carry  the  money  away.  If  you  mean  to  do  it,  now's 
the  time.'  I  stooped  over  the  sledge  as  if  to  arrange  the 
straw,  and  the  axe  seemed  to  jump  into  my  hand  of  itself. 
The  man  turned  round.  '  What  are  you  doing  ?  '  I  lifted  the 
axe  and  tried  to  knock  him  down,  but  he  was  quick,  jumped 
out,  and  took  hold  of  my  hands.  '  What  are  you  doing,  you 
villain  ? '  He  threw  me  down  into  the  snow,  and  I  did  not 
even  struggle,  but  gave  in  at  once.  He  bound  my  arms  with 
his  girdle,  and  threw  me  into  the  sledge,  and  took  me 
straight  to  the  police  station.  I  was  imprisoned  and  tried. 
The  commune  gave  me  a  good  character,  said  that  I  was  a 
good  man,  and  that  nothing  wrong  had  been  noticed  about 
me.  The  masters  for  whom  I  worked  also  spoke  well  of  me, 
but  we  had  no  money  to  engage  a  lawyer,  and  so  I  was  con- 
demned to  four  years'  hard  labour." 

It  was  this  man  who,  wishing  to  save  a  fellow-villager, 
knowing  that  he  was  risking  his  life  thereby,  told  Nekhludoff 
the  prisoner's  secret,  for  doing  which  (if  found  out)  he 
would  certainly  be  throttled. 


Resurrection  453 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MASLOVA    AND    HER    COMPANIONS. 

The  political  prisoners  were  kept  in  two  small  rooms, 
the  doors  of  which  opened  into  a  part  of  the  passage  par- 
titioned off  from  the  rest.  The  first  person  Nekhludoff  saw 
on  entering  into  this  part  of  the  passage  was  Simonson  in 
his  rubber  jacket  and  with  a  log  of  pine  wood  in  his  hands, 
crouching  in  front  of  a  stove,  the  door  of  which  trembled, 
drawn  in  by  the  heat  inside. 

When  he  saw  Nekhludoff  he  looked  up  at  him  from 
under  his  protruding  brow,  and  gave  him  his  hand  without 
rising. 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  come ;  I  want  to  speak  to  you,"  he 
said,  looking  Nekhludoff  straight  in  the  eyes  with  an  ex- 
pression of  importance. 

"  Yes;  what  is  it?  "  Nekhludoff  asked. 

"  It  will  do  later  on ;  I  am  busy  just  now,"  and  Simonson 
turned  again  towards  the  stove,  which  he  was  heating  ac- 
cording to  a  theory  of  his  own,  so  as  to  lose  as  little  heat 
energy  as  possible. 

Nekhludoff  was  going  to  enter  in  at  the  first  door,  when 
Maslova,  stooping  and  pushing  a  large  heap  of  rubbish  and 
dust  towards  the  stove  with  a  handleless  birch  broom,  came 
out  of  the  other.  She  had  a  white  jacket  on,  her  skirt  was 
tucked  up,  and  a  kerchief,  drawn  down  to  her  eyebrows, 
protected  her  hair  from  the  dust.  When  she  saw  Nekh- 
ludoff, she  drew  herself  up,  flushing  and  animated,  put  down 
the  broom,  wiped  her  hands  on  her  skirt,  and  stopped  right 
in  front  of  him.  "  You  are  tidying  up  the  apartments,  I  see," 
said  Nekhludoff,  shaking  hands. 

'  Yes ;  my  old  occupation."  and  she  smiled.  "  But  the 
dirt !  You  can't  imagine  what  it  is.  We  have  been  cleaning 
and  cleaning.  Well,  is  the  plaid  dry?"  she  asked,  turning 
to  Simonson. 

"  Almost,"  Simonson  answered,  giving  her  a  strange 
look,  which  struck  Nekhludoff. 


454  Resurrection 

"  All  right,  I'll  come  for  it,  and  will  bring  the  cloaks  to 
dry.  Our  people  are  all  in  here,"  she  said  to  Nekhludoff, 
pointing  to  the  first  door  as  she  went  out  of  the  second. 

Nekhludoff  opened  the  door  and  entered  a  small  room 
dimly  lit  by  a  little  metal  lamp,  which  was  standing  low 
down  on  the  shelf  bedstead.  It  was  cold  in  the  room,  and 
there  was  a  smell  of  the  dust,  which  had  not  had  time  to 
settle,  damp  and  tobacco  smoke. 

Only  those  who  were  close  to  the  lamp  were  clearly  vis- 
ible, the  bedsteads  were  in  the  shade  and  wavering  shadows 
glided  over  the  walls.  Two  men,  appointed  as  caterers,  who 
had  gone  to  fetch  boiling  water  and  provisions,  were  away ; 
most  of  the  political  prisoners  were  gathered  together  in 
the  small  room.  There  was  Nekhludoff  s  old  acquaintance, 
Vera  Doukhova,  with  her  large,  frightened  eyes,  and  the 
swollen  vein  on  her  forehead,  in  a  grey  jacket  with  short 
hair,  and  thinner  and  yellower  than  ever.  She  had  a  news- 
paper spread  out  in  front  of  her,  and  sat  rolling  cigarettes 
with  a  jerky  movement  of  her  hands. 

Emily  Rantzeva,  whom  Nekhludoff  considered  to  be  the 
pleasantest  of  the  political  prisoners,  was  also  here.  She 
looked  after  the  housekeeping,  and  managed  to  spread  a 
feeling  of  home  comfort  even  in  the  midst  of  the  most  try- 
ing surroundings.  She  sat  beside  the  lamp,  with  her  sleeves 
rolled  up,  wiping  cups  and  mugs,  and  placing  them,  with 
her  deft,  red  and  sunburnt  hands,  on  a  cloth  that  was  spread 
on  the  bedstead.  Rantzeva  was  a  plain-looking  young 
woman,  with  a  clever  and  mild  expression  of  face,  which, 
when  she  smiled,  had  a  way  of  suddenly  becoming  merry, 
animated  and  captivating.  It  was  with  such  a  smile  that 
she  now  welcomed  Nekhludoff. 

"  Why,  we  thought  you  had  gone  back  to  Russia,"  she 
said. 

Here  in  a  dark  corner  was  also  Mary  Pavlovna,  busy  with 
a  little,  fair-haired  girl,  who  kept  prattling  in  her  sweet, 
childish  accents. 

"  How  nice  that  you  have  come,"  she  said  to  Nekhludoff. 
"  Have  you  seen  Katusha  ?  And  we  have  a  visitor  here," 
and  she  pointed  to  the  little  girl. 

Here  was  also  Anatole  Kryltzoff  with  felt  boots  on,  sit- 
ting in  a  far  corner  with  his  feet  under  him,  doubled  up  and 
shivering,  his  arms  folded  in  the  sleeves  of  his  cloak,  and 
looking  at  Nekhludoff  with  feverish  eyes.     Nekhludoff  was 


Resurrection  455 

going  up  to  him,  but  to  the  right  of  the  door  a  man  with 
spectacles  and  reddish  curls,  dressed  in  a  rubber  jacket,  sat 
talking  to  the  pretty,  smiling  Grabetz.  This  was  the  cele- 
brated revolutionist  Novodvoroff.  Nekhludoff  hastened  to 
greet  him.  He  was  in  a  particular  hurry  about  it,  because 
this  man  was  the  only  one  among  all  the  political  prisoners 
whom  he  disliked.  Novodvoroff's  eyes  glistened  through 
his  spectacles  as  he  looked  at  Nekhludoff  and  held  his  nar- 
row hand  out  to  him. 

"Well,  are  you  having  a  pleasant  journey?"  he  asked, 
with  apparent  irony. 

"  Yes,  there  is  much  that  is  interesting,"  Nekhludoff 
answered,  as  if  he  did  not  notice  the  irony,  but  took  the 
question  for  politeness,  and  passed  on  to  Kryltzoff. 

Though  Nekhludoff  appeared  indifferent,  he  was  really 
far  from  indifferent,  and  these  words  of  Novodvoroff,  show- 
ing his  evident  desire  to  say  or  do  something  unpleasant, 
interfered  with  the  state  of  kindness  in  which  Nekhludoff 
found  himself,  and  he  felt  depressed  and  sad. 

"  Well,  how  are  you?  "  he  asked,  pressing  Kryltzoff  s  cold 
and  trembling  hand. 

"  Pretty  well,  only  I  cannot  get  warm  ;  I  got  wet  through," 
Kryltzoff  answered,  quickly  replacing  his  hands  into  the 
sleeves  of  his  cloak.  "  And  here  it  is  also  beastly  cold. 
There,  look,  the  window-panes  are  broken,"  and  he  pointed 
to  the  broken  panes  behind  the  iron  bars.  "  And  how  are 
you?   Why  did  you  not  come?  " 

"  I  was  not  allowed  to,  the  authorities  were  so  strict,  but 
to-day  the  officer  is  lenient." 

"  Lenient  indeed  !  "  Kryltzoff  remarked.  "  Ask  Mary 
what  she  did  this  morning." 

Mary  Pavlovna  from  her  place  in  the  corner  related  what 
had  happened  about  the  little  girl  that  morning  when  they 
left  the  halting  station. 

''  I  think  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  make  a  collective 
protest,"  said  Vera  Doiikhova,  in  a  determined  tone,  and 
yet  looking  now  at  one,  now  at  another,  with  a  frightened, 
undecided  look.  '  Valdemar  Simonson  did  protest,  but 
that  is  not  sufficient." 

"  What  protest !  "  muttered  Kryltzoff,  cross  and  frown- 
ing. Her  want  of  simplicity,  artificial  tone  and  nervous- 
ness had  evidently  been  irritating  him  for  a  long  time. 

"Are  you  looking  for  Katusha?"  he  asked,  addressing 


456  Resurrection 

Nekhludoff.  "She  is  working  all  the  time.  She  has 
cleaned  this,  the  men's  room,  and  now  she  has  gone  to 
clean  the  women's!  Only  it  is  not  possible  to  clean  away 
the  fleas.  And  what  is  Mary  doing  there  ?  "  he  asked,  nod- 
ding towards  the  corner  where  Mary  Pavlovna  sat. 

"  She  is  combing  out  her  adopted  daughter's  hair,"  re- 
plied Rantzeva. 

"But  won't  she  let  the  insects  loose  on  us?"  asked 
Kryltzoff. 

"  No,  no ;  I  am  very  careful.  She  is  a  clean  little  girl 
now.  You  take  her,"  said  Mary,  turning  to  Rantzeva, 
"  while  I  go  and  help  Katusha,  and  I  will  also  bring  him  his 
plaid." 

Rantzeva  took  the  little  girl  on  her  lap,  pressing  her 
plump,  bare,  little  arms  to  her  bosom  with  a  mother's  ten- 
derness, and  gave  her  a  bit  of  sugar.  As  Mary  Pavlovna 
left  the  room,  two  men  came  in  with  boiling  water  and  pro- 
visions. 


Resurrection  457 


CHAPTER  XII. 

NABATOFF   AND    MARKEL. 

One  of  the  men  who  came  in  was  a  short,  thin,  young 
man,  who  had  a  cloth-covered  sheepskin  coat  on,  and  high 
top-boots.  He  stepped  lightly  and  quickly,  carrying  two 
steaming  teapots,  and  holding  a  loaf  wrapped  in  a  cloth 
under  his  arm. 

"  Well,  so  our  prince  has  put  in  an  appearance  again," 
he  said,  as  he  placed  the  teapot  beside  the  cups,  and  handed 
the  bread  to  Rantzeva.  "  We  have  bought  wonderful 
things,"  he  continued,  as  he  took  off  his  sheepskin,  and 
flung  it  over  the  heads  of  the  others  into  the  corner  of  the 
bedstead.  "  Markel  has  bought  milk  and  eggs.  Why,  we'll 
have  a  regular  ball  to-day.  And  Rantzeva  is  spreading  out 
her  aesthetic  cleanliness,"  he  said,  and  looked  with  a  smile 
at  Rantzeva,  "  and  now  she  will  make  the  tea." 

The  whole  presence  of  this  man — his  motion,  his  voice, 
his  look — seemed  to  breathe  vigour  and  merriment.  The 
other  newcomer  was  just  the  reverse  of  the  first.  He  looked 
despondent  and  sad.  He  was  short,  bony,  had  very  prom- 
inent cheek  bones,  a  sallow  complexion,  thin  lips  and  beau- 
tiful, greenish  eyes,  rather  far  apart.  He  wore  an  old 
wadded  coat,  top-boots  and  goloshes,  and  was  carrying  two 
pots  of  milk  and  two  round  boxes  made  of  birch  bark, 
which  he  placed  in  front  of  Rantzeva.  He  bowed  to  Nekh- 
ludoff,  bending  only  his  neck,  and  with  his  eyes  fixed  on 
him.  Then,  having  reluctantly  given  him  his  damp  hand 
to  shake,  he  began  to  take  out  the  provisions. 

Both  these  political  prisoners  were  of  the  people ;  the 
first  was  Nabatoff,  a  peasant ;  the  second,  Markel  Kond- 
ratieff,  a  factory  hand.  Markel  did  not  come  among  the 
revolutionists  till  he  was  quite  a  man,  Nabatoff  only  eigh- 
teen. After  leaving  the  village  school,  owing  to  his  excep- 
tional talents,  Nabatoff  entered  the  gymnasium,  and  main- 
tained himself  by  giving  lessons  all  the  time  he  studied 
there,  and  obtained  the  gold  medal.  He  did  not  go  to  the 
university  because,  while  still  in  the  seventh  class  of  the 


45  8  Resurrection 

gymnasium,  he  made  up  his  mind  to  go  among  the  people 
and  enlighten  his  neglected  brethren.  This  he  did,  first 
getting  the  place  of  a  Government  clerk  in  a  large  village. 
He  was  soon  arrested  because  he  read  to  the  peasants  and 
arranged  a  co-operative  industrial  association  among  them. 
They  kept  him  imprisoned  for  eight  months  and  then  set 
him  free,  but  he  remained  under  police  supervision.  As 
soon  as  he  was  liberated  he  went  to  another  village,  got  a 
place  as  schoolmaster,  and  did  the  same  as  he  had  done  in 
the  first  village.  He  was  again  taken  up  and  kept  four- 
teen months  in  prison,  where  his  convictions  became  yet 
stronger.  After  that  he  was  exiled  to  the  Perm  Govern- 
ment, from  where  he  escaped.  Then  he  was  put  to  prison 
for  seven  months  and  after  that  exiled  to  Archangel.  There 
he  refused  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  that  was  required 
of  them  and  was  condemned  to  be  exiled  to  the  Takoutsk 
Government,  so  that  half  his  life  since  he  reached  man- 
hood was  passed  in  prison  and  exile.  All  these  adventures 
did  not  embitter  him  nor  weaken  his  energy,  but  rather 
stimulated  it.  He  was  a  lively  young  fellow,  with  a  splen- 
did digestion,  always  active,  gay  and  vigorous.  He  never 
repented  of  anything,  never  looked  far  ahead,  and  used  all 
his  powers,  his  cleverness,  his  practical  knowledge  to  act  in 
the  present.  When  free  he  worked  towards  the  aim  he  had 
set  himself,  the  enlightening  and  the  uniting  of  the  work- 
ing men,  especially  the  country  labourers.  When  in  prison 
he  was  just  as  energetic  and  practical  in  finding  means  to 
come  in  contact  with  the  outer  world,  and  in  arranging  his 
own  life  and  the  life  of  his  group  as  comfortably  as  the  con- 
ditions would  allow.  Above  all  things  he  was  a  communist. 
He  wanted,  as  it  seemed  to  him,  nothing  for  himself  and 
contented  himself  with  very  little,  but  demanded  very  much 
for  the  group  of  his  comrades,  and  could  work  for  it  either 
physically  or  mentally  day  and  night,  without  sleep  or  food. 
As  a  peasant  he  had  been  industrious,  observant,  clever  at 
his  work,  and  naturally  self-controlled,  polite  without  any 
effort,  and  attentive  not  only  to  the  wishes  but  also  the 
opinions  of  others.  His  widowed  mother,  an  illiterate,  super- 
stitious, old  peasant  woman,  was  still  living,  and  Nabatoff 
helped  her  and  went  to  see  her  while  he  was  free.  During 
the*time  he  spent  at  home  he  entered  into  all  the  interests  of 
his  mother's  life,  helped  her  in  her  work,  and  continued  his 
intercourse  with  former  playfellows ;  smoked  cheap  tobacco 


Resurrection  459 

with  them  in  so-called  "  dog's  feet,"  *  took  part  in  their  fist 
fights,  and  explained  to  them  how  they  were  all  being  de- 
ceived by  the  State  and  how  they  ought  to  disentangle 
themselves  out  of  the  deception  they  were  kept  in.  When 
he  thought  or  spoke  of  what  a  revolution  would  do  for  the 
people  he  always  imagined  this  people  from  whom  he  had 
sprung  himself  left  in  very  nearly  the  same  conditions  as 
they  were  in,  only  with  sufficient  land  and  without  the 
gentry  and  without  officials.  The  revolution,  according  to 
him,  and  in  this  he  differed  from  Novodvoroff  and  Novod- 
voroff's  follower,  Markel  Kondratieff,  should  not  alter  the 
elementary  forms  of  the  life  of  the  people,  should  not  break 
down  the  whole  edifice,  but  should  only  alter  the  inner  walls 
of  the  beautiful,  strong,  enormous  old  structure  he  loved  so 
dearly.  He  was  also  a  typical  peasant  in  his  views  on  religion, 
never  thinking  about  metaphysical  questions,  about  the 
origin  of  all  origin,  or  the  future  life.  God  was  to  him,  as 
also  to  Arago,  an  hypothesis,  which  he  had  had  no  need 
of  up  to  now.  He  had  no  business  with  the  origin  of  the 
world,  whether  Moses  or  Darwin  was  right.  Darwinism, 
which  seemed  so  important  to  his  fellows,  was  only  the  same 
kind  of  plaything  of  the  mind  as  the  creation  in  six  days.  The 
question  how  the  world  had  originated  did  not  interest  him, 
just  because  the  question  how  it  would  be  best  to  live  in  this 
world  was  ever  before  him.  He  never  thought  about 
future  life,  always  bearing  in  the  depth  of  his  soul  the  firm 
and  quiet  conviction  inherited  from  his  forefathers,  and 
common  to  all  labourers  on  the  land,  that  just  as  in  the 
world  of  plants  and  animals  nothing  ceases  to  exist,  but 
continually  changes  its  form,  the  manure  into  grain,  the 
grain  into  a  food,  the  tadpole  into  a  frog,  the  caterpillar  into 
a  butterfly,  the  acorn  into  an  oak,  so  man  also  does  not 
perish,  but  only  undergoes  a  change.  He  believed  in  this, 
and  therefore  always  looked  death  straight  in  the  face,  and 
bravely  bore  the  sufferings  that  lead  towards  it,  but  did  not 
care  and  did  know  how  to  speak  about  it.  He  loved  work, 
was  always  employed  in  some  practical  business,  and  put 
his  comrades  in  the  way  of  the  same  kind  of  practical  work. 
The  other  political  prisoner  from  among  the  people,  Mar- 
kel Kondratieff,  was  a  very  different  kind  of  man.  He  began 
to  work  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  took  to  smoking  and  drink- 

*  Dog's  foot  is  a  kind  of  cigarette  that  the  peasants  smoke,  made 
of  a  bit  of  paper  and  bent  at  one  end  into  a  hook. 


460 


Resurrection 


ing  in  order  to  stifle  a  dense  sense  of  being  wronged.  He 
first  realised  he  was  wronged  one  Christmas  when  they,  the 
factory  children,  were  invited  to  a  Christmas  tree,  got  up 
by  the  employer's  wife,  where  he  received  a  farthing  whistle, 
an  apple,  a  gilt  walnut  and  a  fig,  while  the  employer's  chil- 
dren had  presents  given  them  which  seemed  gifts  from  fairy- 
land, and  had  cost  more  than  fifty  roubles,  as  he  afterwards 
heard. 

When  he  was  twenty  a  celebrated  revolutionist  came  to 
their  factory  to  work  as  a  working  girl,  and  noticing  his  su- 
perior qualities  began  giving  books  and  pamphlets  to  Kon- 
dratieff  and  to  talk  and  explain  his  position  to  him,  and  how 
to  remedy  it.  When  the  possibility  of  freeing  himself  and 
others  from  their  oppressed  state  rose  clearly  in  his  mind,  the 
injustice  of  this  state  appeared  more  cruel  and  more  terrible 
than  before,  and  he  longed  passionately  not  only  for  freedom, 
but  also  for  the  punishment  of  those  who  had  arranged  and 
who  kept  up  this  cruel  injustice.  KondratiefT  devoted  him- 
self with  passion  to  the  acquirement  of  knowledge.  It  was 
not  clear  to  him  how  knowledge  should  bring  about  the  reali- 
sation of  the  social  ideal,  but  he  believed  that  the  knowledge 
that  had  shown  him  the  injustice  of  the  state  in  which  he 
lived  would  also  abolish  that  injustice  itself.  Besides  knowl- 
edge would,  in  his  opinion,  raise  him  above  others.  There- 
fore he  left  off  drinking  and  smoking,  and  devoted  all  his 
leisure  time  to  study.  The  revolutionist  gave  him  lessons, 
and  his  thirst  for  every  kind  of  knowledge,  and  the  facility 
with  which  he  took  it  in,  surprised  her.  In  two  years  he  had 
mastered  algebra,  geometry,  history — which  he  was  specially 
fond  of — and  made  acquaintance  with  artistic  and  critical, 
and  especially  socialistic  literature.  The  revolutionist  was 
arrested,  and  KondratiefT  with  her,  forbidden  books  having 
been  found  in  their  possession,  and  they  were  imprisoned  and 
then  exiled  to  the  Vologda  Government.  There  Kondratieff 
became  acquainted  with  Novodvoroff,  and  read  a  great  deal 
more  revolutionary  literature,  remembered  it  all,  and  became 
still  firmer  in  his  socialistic  views.  While  in  exile  he  became 
leader  in  a  large  strike,  which  ended  in  the  destruction  of  a 
factory  and  the  murder  of  the  director.  He  was  again  ar- 
rested and  condemned  to  Siberia. 

His  religious  views  were  of  the  same  negative  nature  as 
his  views  of  the  existing  economic  conditions.  Having  seen 
the  absurdity  of  the  religion  in  which  he  was  brought  up,  and 


Resurrection  461 

having  gained  with  great  effort,  and  at  first  with  fear,  but 
later  with  rapture,  freedom  from  it,  he  did  not  tire  of 
viciously  and  with  venom  ridiculing  priests  and  religious 
dogmas,  as  if  wishing  to  revenge  himself  for  the  deception 
that  had  been  practised  on  him. 

He  was  ascetic  through  habit,  contented  himself  with  very 
little,  and,  like  all  those  used  to  work  from  childhood  and 
whose  muscles  have  been  developed,  he  could  work  much  and 
easily,  and  was  quick  at  any  manual  labour;  but  what  he 
valued  most  was  the  leisure  in  prisons  and  halting  stations, 
which  enabled  him  to  continue  his  studies.  He  was  now 
studying  the  first  volume  of  Karl  Marks's,  and  carefully  hid 
the  book  in  his  sack  as  if  it  were  a  great  treasure.  He  be- 
haved with  reserve  and  indifference  to  all  his  comrades,  ex- 
cept Novodvoroff,  to  whom  he  was  greatly  attached,  and 
whose  arguments  on  all  subjects  he  accepted  as  unanswer- 
able truths. 

He  had  an  indefinite  contempt  for  women,  whom  he 
looked  upon  as  a  hindrance  in  all  necessary  business.  But  he 
pitied  Maslova  and  was  gentle  with  her,  for  he  considered 
her  an  example  of  the  way  the  lower  are  exploited  by  the 
upper  classes.  The  same  reason  made  him  dislike  Nekhlu- 
doff,  so  that  he  talked  little  with  him,  and  never  pressed 
NekhludofFs  hand,  but  only  held  out  his  own  to  be  pressed 
when  greeting  him. 


462 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

LOVE   AFFAIRS    OF   THE    EXILES. 

The  stove  had  burned  up  and  got  warm,  the  tea  was  made 
and  poured  out  into  mugs  and  cups,  and  milk  was  added  to 
it ;  rusks,  fresh  rye  and  wheat  bread,  hard-boiled  eggs,  but- 
ter, and  calf's  head  and  feet  were  placed  on  the  cloth.  Every- 
body moved  towards  the  part  of  the  shelf  beds  which  took  the 
place  of  the  table  and  sat  eating  and  talking.  Rantzeva  sat  on 
a  box  pouring  out  the  tea.  The  rest  crowded  round  her,  only 
Kryltzoff,  who  had  taken  off  his  wet  cloak  and- wrapped  him- 
self in  his  drv  plaid  and  lay  in  his  own  place  talking  to  Nekh- 
ludoff. 

After  the  cold  and  damp  march  and  the  dirt  and  disorder 
they  had  found  here,  and  after  the  pains  they  had  taken  to 
get  it  tidy,  after  having  drunk  hot  tea  and  eaten,  they  were 
all  in  the  best  and  brightest  of  spirits. 

The  fact  that  the  tramp  of  feet,  the  screams  and  abuse  of 
the  criminals,  reached  them  through  the  wall,  reminding 
them  of  their  surroundings,  seemed  only  to  increase  the  sense 
of  coziness.  As  on  an  island  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  these 
people  felt  themselves  for  a  brief  interval  not  swamped  by 
the  degradation  and  sufferings  which  surrounded  them ;  this 
made  their  spirits  rise,  and  excited  them.  They  talked  about 
everything  except  their  present  position  and  that  which 
awaited  them.  Then,  as  it  generally  happens  among  young 
men,  and  women  especially,  if  they  are  forced  to  remain  to- 
gether, as  these  people  were,  all  sorts  of  agreements  and  dis- 
agreements and  attractions,  curiously  blended,  had  sprung 
up  among  them.  Almost  all  of  them  were  in  love.  Novod- 
voroff  was  in  love  with  the  pretty,  smiling  Grabetz.  This 
Grabetz  was  a  young,  thoughtless  girl  who  had  gone  in  for 
a  course  of  study,  perfectly  indifferent  to  revolutionary  ques- 
tions, but  succumbing  to  the  influence  of  the  day,  she  com- 
promised herself  in  some  way  and  was  exiled.  The  chief 
interest  of  her  life  during  the  time  of  her  trial  in  prison  and 
in  exile  was  her  success  with  men,  just  as  it  had  been  when 


Resurrection  463 

she  was  free.  Now  on  the  way  she  comforted  herself  with 
the  fact  that  Novodvoroff  had  taken  a  fancy  to  her,  and  she 
fell  in  love  with  him.  Vera  Doukhova,  who  was  very  prone 
to  fall  in  love  herself,  but  did  not  awaken  love  in  others, 
though  she  was  always  hoping  for  mutual  love,  was  some- 
times drawn  to  Nabatoff,  then  to  Novodvoroff.  Kryltzoff 
felt  something  like  love  for  Mary  Pavlovna.  He  loved  her 
with  a  man's  love,  but  knowing  how  she  regarded  this  sort 
of  love,  hid  his  feelings  under  the  guise  of  friendship  and 
gratitude  for  the  tenderness  with  which  she  attended  to  his 
wants.  Nabatoff  and  Rantzeva  were  attached  to  each  other 
by  very  complicated  ties.  Just  as  Mary  Pavlovna  was  a  per- 
fectly chaste  maiden,  in  the  same  way  Rantzeva  was  perfectly 
chaste  as  her  own  husband's  wife.  When  only  a  schoolgirl 
of  sixteen  she  fell  in  love  with  Rantzeff,  a  student  of  the 
Petersburg  University,  and  married  him  before  he  left  the 
university,  when  she  was  only  nineteen  years  old.  During 
his  fourth  year  at  the  university  her  husband  had  become 
involved  in  the  students'  rows,  was  exiled  from  Petersburg, 
and  turned  revolutionist.  She  left  the  medical  courses  she 
was  attending,  followed  him,  and  also  turned  revolutionist. 
If  she  had  not  considered  her  husband  the  cleverest  and  best 
of  men  she  would  not  have  fallen  in  love  with  him ;  and  if 
she  had  not  fallen  in  love  would  not  have  married ;  but  hav- 
ing fallen  in  love  and  married  him  whom  she  thought  the 
best  and  cleverest  of  men,  she  naturally  looked  upon  life  and 
its  aims  in  the  way  the  best  and  cleverest  of  men  looked  at 
them.  At  first  he  thought  the  aim  of  life  was  to  learn,  and 
she  looked  upon  study  as  the  aim  of  life.  He  became  a  revo- 
lutionist, and  so  did  she.  She  could  demonstrate  very  clearly 
that  the  existing  state  of  things  could  not  go  on,  and  that  it 
was  everybody's  duty  to  fight  this  state  of  things  and  to  try 
to  bring  about  conditions  in  which  the  individual  could 
develop  freely,  etc.  And  she  imagined  that  she  really  thought 
and  felt  all  this,  but  in  reality  she  only  regarded  everything 
her  husband  thought  as  absolute  truth,  and  only  soug-ht  for 
perfect  agreement,  perfect  identification  of  her  own  soul  with 
his  which  alone  could  give  her  full  moral  satisfaction.  The 
parting  with  her  husband  and  their  child,  whom  her  mother 
had  taken,  was  very  hard  to  bear;  but  she  bore  it  firmly  and 
quietly,  since  it  was  for  her  husband's  sake  and  for  that 
cause  which  she  had  not  the  slightest  doubt  was  true,  since 
he  served  it.    She  was  always  with  her  husband  in  thoughts, 


464  Resurrection 

and  did  not  love  and  could  not  love  any  other  any  more  than 
she  had  done  before.  But  Nabatoff 's  devoted  and  pure  love 
touched  and  excited  her.  This  moral,  firm  man,  her  hus- 
band's friend,  tried  to  treat  her  as  a  sister,  but  something 
more  appeared  in  his  behaviour  to  her,  and  this  something 
frightened  them  both,  and  yet  gave  colour  to  their  life  of 
hardship. 

So  that  in  all  this  circle  only  Mary  Pavlovna  and  Kon- 
dratieff  were  quite  free  from  love  affairs. 


Resurrection  465 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

CONVERSATIONS    IN    PRISON. 

Expecting  to  have  a  private  talk  with  Katusha,  as  usual, 
after  tea,  Nekhludoff  sat  by  the  side  of  Kryltzoff,  convers- 
ing with  him.  Among  other  things  he  told  him  the  story  of 
Makar's  crime  and  about  his  request  to  him.  Kryltzoff  lis- 
tened attentively,  gazing  at  Nekhludoff  with  glistening 
eyes. 

"  Yes,"  said  Kryltzoff  suddenly,  "  I  often  think  that  here 
we  are  going  side  by  side  with  them,  and  who  are  they  ?  The 
same  for  whose  sake  we  are  going,  and  yet  we  not  only  do 
not  know  them,  but  do  not  even  wish  to  know  them.  And 
they,  even  worse  than  that,  they  hate  us  and  look  upon  us  as 
enemies.    This  is  terrible." 

'  There  is  nothing  terrible  about  it,"  broke  in  Novodvor- 
off.  '  The  masses  always  worship  power  only.  The  govern- 
ment is  in  power,  and  they  worship  it  and  hate  us.  To-mor- 
row we  shall  have  the  power,  and  they  will  worship  us,"  he 
said  with  his  grating  voice.  At  that  moment  a  volley  of 
abuse  and  the  rattle  of  chains  sounded  from  behind  the  wall, 
something  was  heard  thumping  against  it  and  screaming  and 
shrieking,  some  one  was  being  beaten,  and  some  one  was  call- 
ing out,  "  Murder !  help !  " 

"  Hear  them,  the  beasts !  What  intercourse  can  there  be 
between  us  and  such  as  them  ?  "  quietly  remarked  Novod- 
voroff. 

"  You  call  them  beasts,  and  Nekhludoff  was  just  telling 
me  about  such  an  action !  "  irritably  retorted  Kryltzoff,  and 
went  on  to  say  how  Makar  was  risking  his  life  to  save  a  fel- 
low-villager. "  That  is  not  the  action  of  a  beast,  it  is  hero- 
ism." 

"  Sentimentality !  "  Novodvoroff  ejaculated  ironically  ; 
"  it  is  difficult  for  us  to  understand  the  emotions  of  these 
people  and  the  motives  on  which  they  act.  You  see  gener- 
osity in  the  act,  and  it  may  be  simply  jealousy  of  that  other 
criminal." 


4-66 


Resurrection 


'  How  is  it  that  you  never  wish  to  see  anything  good  in 
another?  "  Mary  Pavlovna  said  suddenly,  flaring  up. 

"  How  can  one  see  what  does  not  exist !  " 

"  How  does  it  not  exist,  when  a  man  risks  dying  a  terrible 
death  ?  " 

'  I  think,"  said  Novodvoroff,  "  that  if  we  mean  to  do  our 
work,  the  first  condition  is  that  "  (here  Kondratieff  put 
down  the  book  he  was  reading  by  the  lamplight  and  began 
to  listen  attentively  to  his  master's  words)  "  we  should  not 
give  way  to  fancy,  but  look  at  things  as  they  are.  We  should 
do  all  in  our  power  for  the  masses,  and  expect  nothing  in 
return.  The  masses  can  only  be  the  object  of  our  activity, 
but  cannot  be  our  fellow-workers  as  long  as  they  remain  in 
that  state  of  inertia  they  are  in  at  present,"  he  went  on,  as 
if  delivering  a  lecture.  "  Therefore,  to  expect  help  from 
them  before  the  process  of  development — that  process  which 
we  are  preparing  them  for — has  taken  place  is  an  illusion." 

'  What  process  of  development?  "  Kryltzoff  began,  flush- 
ing all  over.  "  We  say  that  we  are  against  arbitrary  rule 
and  despotism,  and  is  this  not  the  most  awful  despotism  ?  " 

"  No  despotism  whatever,"  quietly  rejoined  Novodvoroff. 
"  I  am  only  saying  that  I  know  the  path  that  the  people  must 
travel,  and  can  show  them  that  path." 

"  But  how  can  you  be  sure  that  the  path  you  show  is  the 
true  path  ?  Is  this  not  the  same  kind  of  despotism  that  lay  at 
the  bottom  of  the  Inquisition,  all  persecutions,  and  the  great 
revolution?  They,  too,  knew  the  one  true  way,  by  means 
of  their  science." 

'  Their  having  erred  is  no  proof  of  my  going  to  err ; 
besides,  there  is  a  great  difference  between  the  ravings  of 
idealogues  and  the  facts  based  on  sound,  economic  science." 
Novodvoroff 's  voice  filled  the  room ;  he  alone  was  speaking, 
all  the  rest  were  silent. 

'  They  are  always  disputing,"  Mary  Pavlovna  said,  when 
there  was  a  moment's  silence. 

"  And  you  yourself,  what  do  you  think  about  it?  "  Nekh- 
ludoff  asked  her. 

'  I  think  Kryltzoff  is  right  when  he  says  we  should  not 
force  our  views  on  the  people." 

"And  you,  Katusha?"  asked  Nekhludoff  with  a  smile, 
waiting  anxiously  for  her  answer,  fearing  she  would  say 
something  awkward. 


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Resurrection  467 

"  I  think  the  common  people  are  wronged,"  she  said,  and 
blushed  scarlet.    "  I  think  they  are  dreadfully  wronged." 

"  That's  right,  Maslova,  quite  right,"  cried  Nabatoff. 
"  They  are  terribly  wronged,  the  people,  and  they  must 
not  be  wronged,  and  therein  lies  the  whole  of  our  task." 

"  A  curious  idea  of  the  object  of  revolution,"  Novodvoroff 
remarked  crossly,  and  began  to  smoke. 

"  I  cannot  talk  to  him,"  said  Kryltzoff  in  a  whisper,  and 
was  silent. 

"  And  it  is  much  better  not  to  talk,"  Nekhludoff  said. 


468 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER   XV. 

NOVODVOROFF. 

Although  Novodvoroff  was  highly  esteemed  of  all  the 
revolutionists,  though  he  was  very  learned,  and  considered 
very  wise,  Nekhludoff  reckoned  him  among  those  of  the 
revolutionists  who,  being  below  the  average  moral  level, 
were  very  far  below  it.  His  inner  life  was  of  a  nature 
directly  opposite  to  that  of  Simonson's.  Simonson  was  one 
of  those  people  (of  an  essentially  masculine  type)  whose 
actions  follow  the  dictates  of  their  reason,  and  are  deter- 
mined by  it.  Novodvoroff  belonged,  on  the  contrary,  to  the 
class  of  people  of  a  feminine  type,  whose  reason  is  directed 
partly  towards  the  attainment  of  aims  set  by  their  feelings, 
partly  to  the  justification  of  acts  suggested  by  their  feelings. 
The  whole  of  Novodvoroff's  revolutionary  activity,  though 
he  could  explain  it  very  eloquently  and  very  convincingly, 
appeared  to  Nekhludoff  to  be  founded  on  nothing  but  ambi- 
tion and  the  desire  for  supremacy.  At  first  his  capacity  for 
assimilating  the  thoughts  of  others,  and  of  expressing  them 
correctly,  had  given  him  a  position  of  supremacy  among 
pupils  and  teachers  in  the  gymnasium  and  the  university, 
where  qualities  such  as  his  are  highly  prized,  and  he  was 
satisfied.  When  he  had  finished  his  studies  and  received 
his  diploma  he  suddenly  altered  his  views,  and  from  a  mod- 
ern liberal  he  turned  into  a  rabid  Narodovoletz,  in  order  (so 
Kryltzoff,  who  did  not  like  him,  said)  to  gain  supremacy  in 
another  sphere. 

As  he  was  devoid  of  those  moral  and  aesthetic  qualities 
which  call  forth  doubts  and  hesitation,  he  very  soon  acquired 
a  position  in  the  revolutionary  world  which  satisfied  him — 
that  of  the  leader  of  a  party.  Having  once  chosen  a  direc- 
tion, he  never  doubted  or  hesitated,  and  was  therefore  certain 
that  he  never  made  a  mistake.  Everything  seemed  quite 
simple,  clear  and  certain.  And  the  narrowness  and  one- 
sidedness  of  his  views  did  make  everything  seem  simple  and 
clear.  One  only  had  to  be  logical,  as  he  said.  His  self- 
assurance  was  so  great  that  it  either  repelled  people  or  made 


Resurrection  469 

them  submit  to  him.  As  he  carried  on  his  work  among 
very  young  people,  his  boundless  self-assurance  led  them  to 
believe  him  very  profound  and  wise;  the  majority  did  sub- 
mit to  him,  and  he  had  a  great  success  in  revolutionary 
circles.  His  activity  was  directed  to  the  preparation  of  a 
rising  in  which  he  was  to  usurp  the  power  and  call  together 
a  council.  A  programme,  composed  by  him,  should  be 
proposed  before  the  council,  and  he  felt  sure  that  this  pro- 
gramme of  his  solved  every  problem,  and  that  it  would  be 
impossible  not  to  carry  it  out. 

His  comrades  respected  but  did  not  love  him.  He  did 
not  love  any  one,  looked  upon  all  men  of  note  as  upon  rivals, 
and  would  have  willingly  treated  them  as  old  male  monkeys 
treat  young  ones  if  he  could  have  done  it.  He  would  have 
torn  all  mental  power,  every  capacity,  from  other  men,  so 
that  they  should  not  interfere  with  the  display  of  his  talents. 
He  behaved  well  only  to  those  who  bowed  before  him.  Now, 
on  the  journey  he  behaved  well  to  Kondratieff,  who  was 
influenced  by  his  propaganda ;  to  Vera  Doukhova  and  pretty 
little  Grabetz,  who  were  both  in  love  with  him.  Although 
in  principle  he  was  in  favour  of  the  woman's  movement,  yet 
in  the  depth  of  his  soul  he  considered  all  women  stupid  and 
insignificant  except  those  whom  he  was  sentimentally  in 
love  with  (as  he  was  now  in  love  with  Grabetz),  and  such 
women  he  considered  to  be  exceptions,  whose  merits  he 
alone  was  capable  of  discerning. 

The  question  of  the  relations  of  the  sexes  he  also  looked 
upon  as  thoroughly  solved  by  accepting  free  union.  He  had 
one  nominal  and  one  real  wife,  from  both  of  whom  he  was 
separated,  having  come  to  the  conclusion  that  there  was  no 
real  love  between  them,  and  now  he  thought  of  entering  on 
a  free  union  with  Grabetz.  He  despised  Nekhludoff  for 
"  playing  the  fool,"  as  Novodvoroff  termed  it,  with  Maslova, 
but  especially  for  the  freedom  Nekhludoff  took  of  consider- 
ing the  defects  of  the  existing  system  and  the  methods  of 
correcting  those  defects  in  a  manner  which  was  not  only 
not  exactly  the  same  as  Novodvoroff 's,  but  was  Nekhludoff's 
own — a  prince's,  that  is,  a  fool's  manner.  Nekhludoff  felt 
this  relation  of  Novodvoroff's  towards  him,  and  knew  to 
his  sorrow  that  in  spite  of  the  state  of  good  will  in  which 
he  found  himself  on  this  journey  he  could  not  help  paying 
this  man  in  his  own  coin,  and  could  not  stifle  the  strong 
antipathy  he  felt  for  him. 


47°  Resurrection 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

SIMONSON    SPEAKS   TO    NEKHLUDOFF. 

The  voices  of  officials  sounded  from  the  next  room.  All 
the  prisoners  were  silent,  and  a  sergeant,  followed  by  two 
convoy  soldiers,  entered.  The  time  of  the  inspection  had 
come.  The  sergeant  counted  every  one,  and  when  Nekhlu- 
doff' s  turn  came  he  addressed  him  with  kindly  familiarity. 

'  You  must  not  stay  any  longer,  Prince,  after  the  inspec- 
tion ;  you  must  go  now." 

Nekhludoff  knew  what  this  meant,  went  up  to  the  ser- 
geant and  shoved  a  three-rouble  note  into  his  hand. 

"  Ah,  well,  what  is  one  to  do  with  you ;  stay  a  bit  longer, 
if  you  like."  The  sergeant  was  about  to  go  when  another 
sergeant,  followed  by  a  convict,  a  spare  man  with  a  thin 
beard  and  a  bruise  under  his  eye,  came  in. 

"  It's  about  the  girl  I  have  come,"  said  the  convict. 

"  Here's  daddy  come,"  came  the  ringing  accents  of  a  child's 
voice,  and  a  flaxen  head  appeared  from  behind  Rantzeva, 
who,  with  Katusha's  and  Mary  Pavlovna's  help,  was 
making  a  new  garment  for  the  child  out  of  one  of  Rantzeva's 
own  petticoats. 

'  Yes,  daughter,  it's  me,"  Bousovkin,  the  prisoner,  said 
softly. 

"  She  is  quite  comfortable  here,"  said  Mary  Pavlovna, 
looking  with  pity  at  Bousovkin's  bruised  face.  "  Leave  her 
with  us." 

'  The  ladies  are  making  me  new  clothes,"  said  the  girl, 
pointing  to  Rantzeva's  sewing — "  ni-i-ice  re-ed  ones,"  she 
went  on,  prattling. 

"  Do  you  wish  to  sleep  with  us?  "  asked  Rantzeva,  caress- 
ing the  child. 

"  Yes,  I  wish.    And  daddy,  too." 

"  No,  daddy  can't.  Well,  leave  her  then,"  she  said,  turn- 
ing to  the  father. 

'  Yes,  you  may  leave  her,"  said  the  first  sergeant,  and 
went  out  with  the  other. 


Resurrection  471 

As  soon  as  they  were  out  of  the  room  Nabatoff  went  up 
to  Bousovkin,  slapped  him  on  the  shoulder,  and  said : 

"  I  say,  old  fellow,  is  it  true  that  Karmanoff  wishes  to 
exchange  ?  " 

Bousovk'in's  kindly,  gentle  face  turned  suddenly  sad  and 
a  veil  seemed  to  dim  his  eyes. 

"  We  have  heard  nothing — hardly,"  he  said,  and  with  the 
same  dimness  still  over  his  eyes  he  turned  to  the  child. 

"  Well,  Aksutka,  it  seems  you're  to  make  yourself  com- 
fortable with  the  ladies,"  and  he  hurried  away. 

"  It's  true  about  the  exchange,  and  he  knows  it  very  well," 
said  Nabatoff. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  " 

"  I  shall  tell  the  authorities  in  the  next  town.  I  knovv 
both  prisoners  by  sight,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

All  were  silent,  fearing  a  recommencement  of  the  dispute. 

Simonson,  who  had  been  lying  with  his  arms  thrown 
back  behind  his  head,  and  not  speaking,  rose,  and  deter- 
minately  walked  up  to  Nekhludoff,  carefully  passing  round 
those  who  were  sitting. 

"  Could  you  listen  to  me  now?  " 

"  Of  course,"  and  Nekhludoff  rose  and  followed  him. 

Katusha  looked  up  with  an  expression  of  suspense,  and 
meeting  Nekhludoff's  eyes,  she  blushed  and  shook  her 
head. 

'  What  I  want  to  speak  to  you  about  is  this,"  Simonson 
began,  when  they  had  come  out  into  the  passage.  In  the 
passage  the  din  of  the  criminal's  voices  and  shouts  sounded 
louder.  Nekhludoff  made  a  face,  but  Simonson  did  not 
seem  to  take  any  notice. 

"  Knowing  of  your  relations  to  Katerina  Maslova,"  he 
began   seriously   and   frankly,   with   his   kind   eyes   looking 

straight  into  Nekhludoff's  face,  "  I  consider  it  my  duty" 

He  was  obliged  to  stop  because  two  voices  were  heard  dis- 
puting and  shouting,  both  at  once,  close  to  the  door. 

"  I  tell  you,  blockhead,  they  are  not  mine,"  one  voice 
shouted. 

"  May  you  choke,  you  devil,"  snorted  the  other. 

At  this  moment  Mary  Pavlovna  came  out  into  the  pas- 
sage. 

"  How  can  one  talk  here  ?  "  she  said  ;  "  go  in,  Vera  is  alone 
there,"  and  she  went  in  at  the  second  door,  and  entered  a 
tiny  room,  evidently  meant  for  a  solitary  cell,  which  was 


472  Resurrection 

now  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  political  women  prisoners. 
Vera  Doukhova  lay  covered  up,  head  and  all,  on  the  bed. 

"  She  has  got  a  headache,  and  is  asleep,  so  she  cannot 
hear  you,  and  I  will  go  away,"  said  Mary  Pavlovna. 

"  On  the  contrary,  stay  here,"  said  Simonson ;  "  I  have 
no  secrets  from  any  one,  certainly  none  from  you." 

"  All  right,"  said  Mary  Pavlovna,  and  moving  her  whole 
body  from  side  to  side,  like  a  child,  so  as  to  get  farther  back 
on  to  the  bed,  she  settled  down  to  listen,  her  beautiful  hazel 
eyes  seeming  to  look  somewhere  far  away. 

'  Well,  then,  this  is  my  business,"  Simonson  repeated. 
"  Knowing  of  your  relations  to  Katerina  Maslova,  I  con- 
sider myself  bound  to  explain  to  you  my  relations  to  her." 

Nekhludoff  could  not  help  admiring  the  simplicity  and 
truthfulness  with  which  Simonson  spoke  to  him. 

"  What  do  you  mean?  " 

"  I  mean  that  I  should  like  to  marry  Katerina  Mas- 
lova  " 

"  How  strange !  "  said  Mary  Pavlovna,  fixing  her  eyes  on 
Simonson. 

"  — And  so  I  made  up  my  mind  to  ask  her  to  be  my  wife," 
Simonson  continued. 

"  What  can  I  do?  It  depends  on  her,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

"  Yes ;  but  she  will  not  come  to  any  decision  without 
you." 

"Why?" 

"  Because  as  long  as  your  relations  with  her  are  unset- 
tled she  cannot  make  up  her  mind." 

"As  far  as  I  am  concerned,  it  is  finally  settled.  I  should 
like  to  do  what  I  consider  to  be  my  duty  and  also  to  lighten 
her  fate,  but  on  no  account  would  I  wish  to  put  any  re- 
straint on  her." 

'  Yes,  but  she  does  not  wish  to  accept  your  sacrifice." 

"  It  is  no  sacrifice." 

"  And  I  know  that  this  decision  of  hers  is  final." 

"  Well,  then,  there  is  no  need  to  speak  to  me,"  said  Nekh- 
ludoff. 

''  She  wants  you  to  acknowledge  that  you  think  as  she 
does." 

'  How  can  I  acknowledge  that  I  must  not  do  what  I  con- 
sider to  be  my  duty?  All  I  can  say  is  that  I  am  not  free, 
but  she  is." 

Simonson   was   silent;   then,   after   thinking  a   little,   he 


Resurrection  473 

said :  "  Very  well,  then,  I'll  tell  her.  You  must  not  think  I 
am  in  love  with  her,"  he  continued ;  "  I  love  her  as  a  splen- 
did, unique,  human  being  who  has  suffered  much.  I  want 
nothing  from  her.  I  have  only  an  awful  longing  to  help  her, 
to  lighten  her  posi " 

Nekhludoff  was  surprised  to  hear  the  trembling  in  Simon- 
son's  voice. 

" — To  lighten  her  position,"  Simonson  continued.  '  If 
she  does  not  wish  to  accept  your  help,  let  her  accept  mine. 
If  she  consents,  I  shall  ask  to  be  sent  to  the  place  where  she 
will  be  imprisoned.  Four  years  are  not  an  eternity.  I 
would  live  near  her,  and  perhaps  might  lighten  her  fate 
"  and  he  again  stopped,  too  agitated  to  continue. 

"  What  am  I  to  say  ?  "  said  Nekhludoff.  "  I  am  /ery  glad 
she  has  found  such  a  protector  as  you " 

"  That's  what  I  wanted  to  know,"  Simonson  interrupted. 
"  I  wanted  to  know  if,  loving  her  and  wishing  her  happi- 
ness, you  would  consider  it  good  for  her  to  marry  me  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Nekhludoff  decidedly. 

"  It  all  depends  on  her ;  I  only  wish  that  this  suffering 
soul  should  find  rest,"  said  Simonson,  with  such  childlike 
tenderness  as  no  one  could  have  expected  from  so  morose- 
looking  a  man. 

Simonson  rose,  and  stretching  his  lips  out  to  Nekhludoff, 
smiled  shyly  and  kissed  him. 

"  So  I  shall  tell  her,"  and  he  went  away. 


474  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

"  I    HAVE    NOTHING    MORE   TO    SAY." 

"  What  do  you  think  of  that?  "  said  Mary  Pavlovna.  "  In 
love — quite  in  love.  Now,  that's  a  thing  I  never  should 
have  expected,  that  Valdemar  Simonson  should  be  in  love, 
and  in  the  silliest,  most  boyish  manner.  It  is  strange,  and, 
to  say  the  truth,  it  is  sad,"  and  she  sighed. 

'But  she?  Katusha?  How  does  she  look  at  it,  do  you 
think?"  Nekhludoff  asked. 

"She?"  Mary  Pavlovna  waited,  evidently  wishing  to 
give  as  exact  an  answer  as  possible.  "  She?  Well,  you  see, 
in  spite  of  her  past  she  has  one  of  the  most  moral  natures 
— and  such  fine  feelings.  She  loves  you — loves  you  well, 
and  is  happy  to  be  able  to  do  you  even  the  negative  good 
of  not  letting  you  get  entangled  with  her.  Marriage  with 
you  would  be  a  terrible  fall  for  her,  worse  than  all  that's 
past,  and  therefore  she  will  never  consent  to  it.  And  yet 
your  presence  troubles  her." 

"  Well,  what  am  I  to  do?  Ought  I  to  vanish?  " 

Mary  Pavlovna  smiled,  her  sweet,  childlike  smile,  and 
said,  "  Yes,  partly." 

"  How  is  one  to  vanish  partly  ?  " 

"  I  am  talking  nonsense.  But  as  for  her,  I  should  like  to 
tell  you  that  she  probably  sees  the  silliness  of  this  raptur- 
ous kind  of  love  (he  has  not  spoken  to  her),  and  is  both 
flattered  and  afraid  of  it.  I  am  not  competent  to  judge  in 
such  affairs,  you  know,  still  I  believe  that  on  his  part  it  is 
the  most  ordinary  man's  feeling,  though  it  is  masked.  He 
says  that  this  love  arouses  his  energy  and  is  Platonic,  but  I 
know  that  even  if  it  is  exceptional,  still  at  the  bottom  it  is 
degrading." 

Mary  Pavlovna  had  wandered  from  the  subject,  having 
started  on  her  favourite  theme. 

"  Well,  but  what  am  I  to  do?  "  Nekhludoff  asked. 

'  I  think  you  should  tell  her  everything ;  it  is  always  best 
that  everything  should  be  clear.  Have  a  talk  with  her ;  I 
shall  call  her.    Shall  I  ?  "  said  Mary  Pavlovna. 


Resurrection  475 

"  If  you  please,"  said  Nekhludoff,  and  Mary  Pavlovna 
went. 

A  strange  feeling  overcame  Nekhludoff  when  he  was 
alone  in  the  little  room  with  the  sleeping  Vera  Doukhova, 
listening  to  her  soft  breathing,  broken  now  and  then  by 
moans,  and  to  the  incessant  din  that  came  through  the  two 
doors  that  separated  him  from  the  criminals.  What  Simon- 
son  had  told  him  freed  him  from  the  self-imposed  duty, 
which  had  seemed  hard  and  strange  to  him  in  his  weak 
moments,  and  yet  now  he  felt  something  that  was  not 
merely  unpleasant  but  painful. 

He  had  a  feeling  that  this  offer  of  Simonson's  destroyed 
the  exceptional  character  of  his  sacrifice,  and  thereby  les- 
sened its  value  in  his  own  and  others'  eyes  ;  if  so  good  a  man 
who  was  not  bound  to  her  by  any  kind  of  tie  wanted  to  join 
his  fate  to  hers,  then  this  sacrifice  was  not  so  great.  There 
may  have  also  been  an  admixture  of  ordinary  jealousy.  He 
had  got  so  used  to  her  love  that  he  did  not  like  to  admit 
that  she  loved  another. 

Then  it  also  upset  the  plans  he  had  formed  of  living  near 
her  while  she  was  doing  her  term.  If  she  married  Simon- 
son  his  presence  would  be  unnecessary,  and  he  would  have 
to  form  new  plans. 

Before  he  had  time  to  analyse  his  feelings  the  loud  din  of 
the  prisoners'  voices  came  in  with  a  rush  (something  special 
was  going  on  among  them  to-day)  as  the  door  opened  to  let 
Katusha  in. 

She  stepped  briskly  close  up  to  him  and  said,  "  Mary 
Pavlovna  has  sent  me." 

'  Yes,  I  must  have  a  talk  with  you.  Sit  down.  Valdemar 
Simonson  has  been  speaking  to  me." 

She  sat  down  and  folded  her  hands  in  her  lap  and  seemed 
quite  calm,  but  hardly  had  Nekhludoff  uttered  Simonson's 
name  when  she  flushed  crimson. 

"  What  did  he  say  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  He  told  me  he  wanted  to  marry  you." 

Her  face  suddenly  puckered  up  with  pain,  but  she  said 
nothing  and  only  cast  down  her  eyes. 

"  He  is  asking  for  my  consent  or  my  advice.  I  told  him 
that  it  all  depends  entirely  on  you — that  you  must  decide." 

"  Ah,  what  does  it  all  mean?  Why?  "  she  muttered,  and 
looked  in  his  eyes  with  that  peculiar  squint  that  always 
strangely  affected  Nekhludoff. 


476  Resurrection 

They  sat  silent  for  a  few  minutes  looking  into  each  other's 
eyes,  and  this  look  told  much  to  both  of  them. 

"  You  must  decide,"  Nekhludoff  repeated. 

"  What  am  I  to  decide  ?  Everything  has  long  been  de- 
cided." 

"  No ;  you  must  decide  whether  you  will  accept  Mr.  Simon- 
son's  offer,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

"  What  sort  of  a  wife  can  I  be — I,  a  convict?  Why  should 
I  ruin  Mr.  Simonson,  too?  "  she  said,  with  a  frown. 

"  Well,  but  if  the  sentence  should  be  mitigated." 

"  Oh,  leave  me  alone.  I  have  nothing  more  to  say,"  she 
said,  and  rose  to  leave  the  room. 


Resurrection  477 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


neveroff's  fate. 


When,  following  Katusha,  Nekhludoff  returned  to  the 
men's  room,  he  found  every  one  there  in  agitation.  Nabatoff, 
who  went  about  all  over  the  place,  and  who  got  to  know 
everybody,  and  noticed  everything,  had  just  brought  news 
which  staggered  them  all.  The  news  was  that  he  had  dis- 
covered a  note  on  a  wall,  written  by  the  revolutionist  Petlin, 
who  had  been  sentenced  to  hard  labour,  and  who,  every  one 
thought,  had  long  since  reached  the  Kara ;  and  now  it  turned 
out  that  he  had  passed  this  way  quite  recently,  the  only  polit- 
ical prisoner  among  criminal  convicts. 

"  On  the  17th  of  August,"  so  ran  the  note,  "  I  was  sent  off 
alone  with  the  criminals.  Neveroff  was  with  me,  but  hanged 
himself  in  the  lunatic  asylum  in  Kasan.  I  am  well  and  in 
good  spirits  and  hope  for  the  best." 

All  were  discussing  Petlin's  position  and  the  possible 
reasons  of  Neveroff's  suicide.  Only  Kryltzoff  sat  silent  and 
preoccupied,  his  glistening  eyes  gazing  fixedly  in  front  of 
him. 

"  My  husband  told  me  that  Neveroff  had  a  vision  while 
still  in  the  Petropavlovski  prison,"  said  Rantzeva. 

'  Yes,  he  was  a  poet,  a  dreamer ;  this  sort  of  people  can- 
not stand  solitary  confinement,"  said  Novodvoroff.  "  Now, 
I  never  gave  my  imagination  vent  when  in  solitary  confine- 
ment, but  arranged  my  days  most  systematically,  and  in  this 
way  always  bore  it  very  well." 

"  What  is  there  unbearable  about  it?  Why,  I  used  to  be 
glad  when  they  locked  me  up,"  said  Nabatoff  cheerfully, 
wishing  to  dispel  the  general  depression. 

"  A  fellow's  afraid  of  everything;  of  being  arrested  him- 
self and  entangling  others,  and  of  spoiling  the  whole  busi- 
ness, and  then  he  gets  locked  up,  and  all  responsibility  is  at 
an  end,  and  he  can  rest ;  he  can  just  sit  and  smoke." 

'  You  knew  him  well  ?  "  asked  Mary  Pavlovna,  glancing 
anxiously  at  the  altered,  haggard  expression  of  Kryltzoff's 
face. 


478  Resurrection 

"  Neveroff  a  dreamer?"  Kryltzoff  suddenly  began,  pant- 
ing for  breath  as  if  he  had  been  shouting  or  singing  for  a 
long  time.  "  Neveroff  was  a  man  '  such  as  the  earth  bears 
few  of,'  as  our  doorkeeper  used  to  express  it.  Yes,  he  had  a 
nature  like  crystal,  you  could  see  him  right  through ;  he  could 
not  lie,  he  could  not  dissemble ;  not  simply  thin  skinned,  but 
with  all  his  nerves  laid  bare,  as  if  he  were  flayed.     Yes,  his 

was  a  complicated,  rich  nature,  not  such  a But  where  is 

the  use  of  talking?  "  he  added,  with  a  vicious  frown.  ;'  Shall 
we  first  educate  the  people  and  then  change  the  forms  of  life, 
or  first  change  the  forms  and  then  struggle,  using  peaceful 
propaganda  or  terrorism  ?  So  we  go  on  disputing  while  they 
kill ;  they  do  not  dispute — they  know  their  business ;  they 
don't  care  whether  dozens,  hundreds  of  men  perish — and 
what  men !  No ;  that  the  best  should  perish  is  just  what  they 
want.  Yes,  Herzen  said  that  when  the  Decembrists  were 
withdrawn  from  circulation  the  average  level  of  our  society 
sank.  I  should  think  so,  indeed.  Then  Herzen  himself  and 
his  fellows  were  withdrawn ;  now  is  the  turn  of  the  Never- 
offs." 

"  They  can't  all  be  got  rid  off,"  said  Nabatoff,  in  his  cheer- 
ful tones.  "  There  will  always  be  left  enough  to  continue 
the  breed.  No,  there  won't,  if  we  show  any  pity  to  them 
there,"  Nabatoff  said,  raising  his  voice ;  and  not  letting 
himself  be  interrupted,  "  Give  me  a  cigarette." 

"  Oh,  Anatole,  it  is  not  good  for  you,"  said  Mary  Pav- 
lovna.    "  Please  do  not  smoke." 

"  Oh,  leave  me  alone,"  he  said  angrily,  and  lit  a  cigarette, 

but  at  once  began  to  cough  and  to  retch,  as  if  he  were  going 

to  be  sick.     Having  cleared  his  throat  though,  he  went  on : 

'  What  we  have  been  doing  is  not  the  thing  at  all.     Not 

to  argue,  but  for  all  to  unite — to  destroy  them — that's  it." 

'  But  they  are  also  human  beings,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

'  No,  they  are  not  human,  they  who  can  do  what  they  are 

doing No There,  now,  I  heard  that  some  kind  of 

bombs  and  balloons  have  been  invented.  Well,  one  ought 
to  go  up  in  such  a  balloon  and  sprinkle  bombs  down  on 
them  as  if  they  were  bugs,  until  they  are  all  exterminated 

Yes.     Because "  he  was  going  to  continue,  but, 

flushing  all  over,  he  began  coughing  worse  than  before,  and 
a  stream  of  blood  rushed  from  his  mouth. 

Nabatoff  ran  to  get  ice.  Mary  Pavlovna  brought  valerian 
drops  and  offered  them  to  him,  but  he,  breathing  quickly 


Resurrection  479 

and  heavily,  pushed  her  away  with  his  thin,  white  hand,  and 
kept  his  eyes  closed.  When  the  ice  and  cold  water  had 
eased  Kryltzoff  a  little,  and  he  had  been  put  to  bed,  Nekhlu- 
doff,  having  said  good-night  to  everybody,  went  out  with 
the  sergeant,  who  had  been  waiting  for  him  some  time. 

The  criminals  were  now  quiet,  and  most  of  them  were 
asleep.  Though  the  people  were  lying  on  and  under  the 
bed  shelves  and  in  the  space  between,  they  could  not  all  be 
placed  inside  the  rooms,  and  some  of  them  lay  in  the  passage 
with  their  sacks  under  their  heads  and  covered  with  their 
cloaks.  The  moans  and  sleepy  voices  came  through  the 
open  doors  and  sounded  through  the  passage.  Everywhere 
lay  compact  heaps  of  human  beings  covered  with  prison 
cloaks.  Only  a  few  men  who  were  sitting  rn  the  bachelors' 
room  by  the  light  of  a  candle  end,  which  they  put  out  when 
they  noticed  the  sergeant,  were  awake,  and  an  old  man  who 
sat  naked  under  the  lamp  in  the  passage  picking  the  vermin 
off  his  shirt.  The  foul  air  in  the  political  prisoners'  rooms 
seemed  pure  compared  to  the  stinking  closeness  here.  The 
smoking  lamp  shone  dimly  as  through  a  mist,  and  it  was 
difficult  to  breathe.  Stepping  along  the  passage,  one  had 
to  look  carefully  for  an  empty  space,  and  having  put  down 
one  foot  had  to  find  place  for  the  other.  Three  persons, 
who  had  evidently  found  no  room  even  in  the  passage,  lay 
in  the  anteroom,  close  to  the  stinking  and  leaking  tub.  One 
of  these  was  an  old  idiot,  whom  Nekhludoff  had  often  seen 
marching  with  the  gang ;  another  was  a  boy  about  twelve ; 
he  lay  between  the  two  other  convicts,  with  his  head  on  the 
leg  of  one  of  them. 

When  he  had  passed  out  of  the  gate  Nekhludoff  took 
a  deep  breath  and  long  continued  to  breathe  in  deep  draughts 
of  frostv  air. 


480 


Resurrection 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


WHY    IS    IT   DONE, 


It  had  cleared  up  and  was  starlight.  Except  in  a  few 
places  the  mud  was  frozen  hard  when  Nekhludoff  returned 
to  his  inn  and  knocked  at  one  of  its  dark  windows.  The 
broad-shouldered  labourer  came  barefooted  to  open  the  door 
for  him  and  let  him  in.  Through  a  door  on  the  right,  lead- 
ing to  the  back  premises,  came  the  loud  snoring  of  the 
carters,  who  slept  there,  and  the  sound  of  many  horses 
chewing  oats  came  from  the  yard.  The  front  room,  where 
a  red  lamp  was  burning  in  front  of  the  icons,  smelt  of  worm- 
wood and  perspiration,  and  some  one  with  mighty  lungs 
was  snoring  behind  a  partition.  Nekhludoff  undressed,  put 
his  leather  travelling  pillow  on  the  oilcloth  sofa,  spread  out 
his  rug  and  lay  down,  thinking  over  all  he  had  seen  and 
heard  that  day;  the  boy  sleeping  on  the  liquid  that  oozed 
from  the  stinking  tub,  with  his  head  on  the  convict's  leg, 
seemed  more  dreadful  than  all  else. 

Unexpected  and  important  as  his  conversation  with 
Simonson  and  Katusha  that  evening  had  been,  he  did  not 
dwell  on  it ;  his  situation  in  relation  to  that  subject  was  so 
complicated  and  indefinite  that  he  drove  the  thought  from 
his  mind.  But  the  picture  of  those  unfortunate  beings, 
inhaling  the  noisome  air,  and  lying  in  the  liquid  oozing  out 
of  the  stinking  tub,  especially  that  of  the  boy,  with  his 
innocent  face  asleep  on  the  leg  of  a  criminal,  came  all  the 
more  vividly  to  his  mind,  and  he  could  not  get  it  out  of  his 
head. 

To  know  that  somewhere  far  away  there  are  men  who 
torture  other  men  by  inflicting  all  sorts  of  humiliations  and 
inhuman  degradation  and  sufferings  on  them,  or  for  three 
months  incessantly  to  look  on  while  men  were  inflicting 
these  humiliations  and  sufferings  on  other  men  is  a  very 
different  thing.  And  Nekhludoff  felt  it.  More  than  once 
during  these  three  months  he  asked  himself,  "  Am  I  mad 
because  I  see  what  others  do  not,  or  are  they  mad  that  do 
these  things  that  I  see  ?  " 


Resurrection  481 

Yet  they  (and  there  were  many  of  them)  did  what  seemed 
so  astonishing  and  terrible  to  him  with  such  quiet  assurance 
that  what  they  were  doing  was  necessary  and  was  important 
and  useful  work  that  it  was  hard  to  believe  they  were  mad ; 
nor  could  he,  conscious  of  the  clearness  of  his  thoughts, 
believe  he  was  mad ;  and  all  this  kept  him  continually  in 
a  state  of  perplexity. 

This  is  how  the  things  he  saw  during  these  three  months 
impressed  Nekhludoff :  From  among  the  people  who  were 
free,  those  were  chosen,  by  means  of  trials  and  the  adminis- 
tration, who  were  the  most  nervous,  the  most  hot  tempered, 
the  most  excitable,  the  most  gifted,  and  the  strongest,  but 
the  least  careful  and  cunning.  These  people,  not  a  wit  more 
dangerous  than  many  of  those  who  remained  free,  were  first 
locked  in  prisons,  transported  to  Siberia,  where  they  were 
provided  for  and  kept  months  and  years  in  perfect  idleness, 
and  away  from  nature,  their  families,  and  useful  work — that 
is,  away  from  the  conditions  necessary  for  a  natural  and 
moral  life.  This  firstly.  Secondly,  these  people  were  sub- 
jected to  all  sorts  of  unnecessary  indignity  in  these  different 
places — chains,  shaved  heads,  shameful  clothing — that  is, 
they  were  deprived  of  the  chief  motives  that  induce  the 
weak  to  live  good  lives,  the  regard  for  public  opinion,  the 
sense  of  shame  and  the  consciousness  of  human  dignity. 
Thirdly,  they  were  continually  exposed  to  dangers,  such  as 
the  epidemics  so  frequent  in  places  of  confinement,  exhaus- 
tion, flogging,  not  to  mention  accidents,  such  as  sunstrokes, 
drowning  or  conflagrations,  when  the  instinct  of  self-preser- 
vation makes  even  the  kindest,  most  moral  men  commit 
cruel  actions,  and  excuse  such  actions  when  committed  by 
others. 

Fourthly,  these  people  were  forced  to  associate  with 
others  who  were  particularly  depraved  by  life,  and  espe- 
cially by  these  very  institutions — rakes,  murderers  and  vil- 
lains— who  act  on  those  who  are  not  yet  corrupted  by  the 
measures  inflicted  on  them  as  leaven  acts  on  dough. 

And,  fifthly,  the  fact  that  all  sorts  of  violence,  cruelty,  in- 
humanity, are  not  only  tolerated,  but  even  permitted  by  the 
government,  when  it  suits  its  purposes,  was  impressed  on 
them  most  forcibly  by  the  inhuman  treatment  they  were 
subjected  to;  by  the  sufferings  inflicted  on  children,  women 
and  old  men ;  by  floggings  with  rods  and  whips ;  by  rewards 
offered  for  bringing  a  fugitive  back,  dead  or  alive ;  by  the 


482 


Resurrection 


separation  of  husbands  and  wives,  and  the  uniting  them 
with  the  wives  and  husbands  of  others  for  sexual  inter- 
course; by  shooting  or  hanging  them.  To  those  who  were 
deprived  of  their  freedom,  who  were  in  want  and  misery, 
acts  of  violence  were  evidently  still  more  permissible.  All 
these  institutions  seemed  purposely  invented  for  the  pro- 
duction of  depravity  and  vice,  condensed  to  such  a  degree 
that  no  other  conditions  could  produce  it,  and  for  the 
spreading  of  this  condensed  depravity  and  vice  broadcast 
among  the  whole  population. 

"  Just  as  if  a  problem  had  been  set  to  find  the  best,  the 
surest  means  of  depraving  the  greatest  number  of  persons," 
thought  Nekhludoff,  while  investigating  the  deeds  that 
were  being  done  in  the  prisons  and  halting  stations.  Every 
year  hundreds  of  thousands  were  brought  to  the  highest 
pitch  of  depravity,  and  when  completely  depraved  they  were 
set  free  to  carry  the  depravity  they  had  caught  in  prison 
among  the  people.  In  the  prisons  of  Tamen,  Ekaterin- 
burg, Tomsk  and  at  the  halting  stations  Nekhludoff  saw 
how  successfully  the  object  society  seemed  to  have  set  itself 
was  attained. 

Ordinary,  simple  men  with  a  conception  of  the  demands 
of  the  social  and  Christian  Russian  peasant  morality  lost 
this  conception,  and  found  a  new  one,  founded  chiefly  on 
the  idea  that  any  outrage  or  violence  was  justifiable  if  it 
seemed  profitable.  After  living  in  a  prison  those  people 
became  conscious  with  the  whole  of  their  being  that,  judg- 
ing by  what  was  happening  to  themselves,  all  the  moral 
laws,  the  respect  and  the  sympathy  for  others  which  church 
and  the  moral  teachers  preach,  was  really  set  aside,  and 
that,  therefore,  they,  too,  need  not  keep  the  laws.  Nekh- 
ludoff noticed  the  effects  of  prison  life  on  all  the  convicts 
he  knew — on  Fedoroff,  on  Makar,  and  even  on  Taras,  who, 
after  two  months  among  the  convicts,  struck  Nekhludoff 
by  the  want  of  morality  in  his  arguments.  Nekhludoff  found 
out  during  his  journey  how  tramps,  escaping  into  the 
marshes,  persuade  a  comrade  to  escape  with  them,  and  then 
kill  him  and  feed  on  his  flesh.  (He  saw  a  living  man  who 
was  accused  of  this  and  acknowledged  the  fact.)  And  the 
most  terrible  part  was  that  this  was  not  a  solitary,  but  a  re- 
curring case. 

Only  by  a  special  cultivation  of  vice,  such  as  was  per- 
petrated   in    these    establishments,    could    a    Russian    be 


Resurrection  483 

brought  to  the  state  of  this  tramp,  who  excelled  Nietzsche's 
newest  teaching,  and  held  that  everything  was  possible  and 
nothing  forbidden,  and  who  spread  this  teaching  first 
among  the  convicts  and  then  among  the  people  in  general. 

The  only  explanation  of  all  that  was  being  done  was  the 
wish  to  put  a  stop  to  crime  by  fear,  by  correction,  by  lawful 
vengeance  as  it  was  written  in  the  books.  But  in  reality 
nothing  in  the  least  resembling  any  of  these  results  came 
to  pass.  Instead  of  vice  being  put  a  stop  to,  it  only  spread 
further;  instead  of  being  frightened,  the  criminals  were  en- 
couraged (many  a  tramp  returned  to  prison  of  his  own  free 
will).  Instead  of  being  corrected,  every  kind  of  vice  was 
systematically  instilled,  while  the  desire  for  vengeance  did 
not  weaken  by  the  measures  of  the  government,  but  was 
bred  in  the  people  who  had  none  of  it. 

"  Then  why  is  it  done  ?  "  Nekhludoff  asked  himself,  but 
could  find  no  answer.  And  what  seemed  most  surprising 
was  that  all  this  was  not  being  done  accidentally,  not  by 
mistake,  not  once,  but  that  it  had  continued  for  centuries, 
with  this  difference  only,  that  at  first  the  people's  nostrils 
used  to  be  torn  and  their  ears  cut  off;  then  they  were 
branded,  and  now  they  were  manacled  and  transported  by 
steam  instead  of  on  the  old  carts.  The  arguments  brought 
forward  by  those  in  government  service,  who  said  that  the 
things  which  aroused  his  indignation  were  simply  due  to 
the  imperfect  arrangements  of  the  places  of  confinement, 
and  that  they  could  all  be  put  to  rights  if  prisons  of  a  mod- 
ern type  were  built,  did  not  satisfy  Nekhludoff,  because 
he  knew  that  what  revolted  him  was  not  the  consequence 
of  a  better  or  worse  arrangement  of  the  prisons.  He  had 
read  of  model  prisons  with  electric  bells,  of  executions  by 
electricity,  recommended  by  Tard ;  but  this  refined  kind  of 
violence  revolted  him  even  more. 

But  what  revolted  Nekhludoff  most  was  that  there  were 
men  in  the  law  courts  and  in  the  ministry  who  received 
large  salaries,  taken  from  the  people,  for  referring  to  books 
written  by  men  like  themselves  and  with  like  motives,  and 
sorting  actions  that  violated  laws  made  by  themselves  ac- 
cording to  different  statutes ;  and,  in  obedience  to  these 
statutes,  sending  those  guilty  of  such  actions  to  places 
where  they  were  completely  at  the  mercy  of  cruel,  hardened 
inspectors,  jailers,  convoy  soldiers,  where  millions  of  them 
perished  body  and  soul. 


484  Resurrection 

Now  that  he  had  a  closer  knowledge  of  prisons,  Nekh- 
ludoff  found  out  that  all  those  vices  which  developed  among 
the  prisoners — drunkenness,  gambling,  cruelty,  and  all 
these  terrible  crimes,'  even  cannibalism — were  not  casual 
or  due  to  degeneration  or  to  the  existence  of  monstrosities 
of  the  criminal  type,  as  science,  going  hand  in  hand  with 
the  government,  explained  it,  but  an  unavoidable  con- 
sequence of  the  incomprehensible  delusion  that  men  may 
punish  one  another.  Nekhludoff  saw  that  cannibalism  did 
not  commence  in  the  marshes,  but  in  the  ministry.  He 
saw  that  his  brother-in-law,  for  example,  and,  in  fact,  all  the 
lawyers  and  officials,  from  the  usher  to  the  minister,  do  not 
care  in  the  least  for  justice  or  the  good  of  the  people  about 
whom  they  spoke,  but  only  for  the  roubles  they  were  paid 
for  doing  the  things  that  were  the  source  whence  all  this 
degradation  and  suffering  flowed.    This  was  quite  evident. 

"  Can  it  be,  then,  that  all  this  is  done  simply  through 
misapprehension?  Could  it  not  be  managed  that  all  these 
officials  should  have  their  salaries  secured  to  them,  and  a 
premium  paid  them,  besides,  so  that  they  should  leave  off 
doing  all  that  they  were  doing  now?  "  Nekhludoff  thought, 
and  in  spite  of  the  fleas,  that  seemed  to  spring  up  round 
him  like  water  from  a  fountain  whenever  he  moved,  he  fell 
fast  asleep. 


Resurrection  485 


CHAPTER  XX. 


THE    JOURNEY    RESUMED. 


The  carters  had  left  the  inn  long  before  Nekhludoff 
awoke.  The  landlady  had  had  her  tea,  and  came  in  wiping 
her  fat,  perspiring  neck  with  her  handkerchief,  and  said  that 
a  soldier  had  brought  a  note  from  the  halting  station.  The 
note  was  from  Mary  Pavlovna.  She  wrote  that  Kryltzoff's 
attack  was  more  serious  than  they  had  imagined.  "  We 
wished  him  to  be  left  behind  and  to  remain  with  him.  but 
this  has  not  been  allowed,  so  that  we  shall  take  him  on;  but 
we  fear  the  worst.  Please  arrange  so  that  if  he  should  be 
left  in  the  next  town,  one  of  us  might  remain  with  him.  If 
in  order  to  get  the  permission  to  stay  I  should  be  obliged  to 
get  married  to  him,  I  am  of  course  ready  to  do  so." 

Nekhludoff  sent  the  young  labourer  to  the  post  station 
to  order  horses  and  began  packing  up  hurriedly.  Before  he 
had  drunk  his  second  tumbler  of  tea  the  three-horsed  post- 
cart  drove  up  to  the  porch  with  ringing  bells,  the  wheels  rat- 
tling on  the  frozen  mud  as  on  stones.  Nekhludoff  paid  the 
fat-necked  landlady,  hurried  out  and  got  into  the  cart,  and 
gave  orders  to  the  driver  to  go  on  as  fast  as  possible,  so  as 
to  overtake  the  gang.  Just  past  the  gates  of  the  communal 
pasture  ground  they  did  overtake  the  carts,  loaded  with  sacks 
and  the  sick  prisoners,  as  they  rattled  over  the  frozen  mud, 
that  was  just  beginning  to  be  rolled  smooth  by  the  wheels 
(the  officer  was  not  there,  he  had  gone  in  advance).  The 
soldiers,  who  had  evidently  been  drinking,  followed  by  the 
side  of  the  road,  chatting  merrily.  There  were  a  great  many 
carts.  In  each  of  the  first  carts  sat  six  invalid  criminal  con- 
victs, close  packed.  On  each  of  the  last  two  were  three  polit- 
ical prisoners.  Novodvoroff,  Grabetz  and  Kondratieff  sat  on 
one,  Rantzeva,  Nabatoff  and  the  woman  to  whom  Mary 
Pavlovna  had  given  up  her  own  place  on  the  other,  and  on 
one  of  the  carts  lay  Kryltzoff  on  a  heap  of  hay,  with  a  pillow 
under  his  head,  and  Mary  Pavlovna  sat  by  him  on  the  edge 
of  the  cart.  Nekhludoff  ordered  his  driver  to  stop,  got  out 
and  went  up  to  Kryltzoff.     One  of  the  tipsy  soldiers  waved 


486 


Resurrection 


his  hand  towards  Nekhludoff,  but  he  paid  no  attention  and 
started  walking  by  Kryltzoff's  side,  holding  on  to  the  side  of 
the  cart  with  his  hand.  Dressed  in  a  sheepskin  coat,  with  a 
fur  cap  on  his  head  and  his  mouth  bound  up  with  a  handker- 
chief, he  seemed  paler  and  thinner  than  ever.  His  beautiful. 
eyes  looked  very  large  and  brilliant.  Shaken  from  side  to 
side  by  the  joltings  of  the  cart,  he  lay  with  his  eyes  fixed  on 
Nekhludoff ;  but  when  asked  about  his  health,  he  only  closed 
his  eyes  and  angrily  shook  his  head.  All  his  energy  seemed 
to  be  needed  in  order  to  bear  the  jolting  of  the  cart.  Mary 
Pavlovna  was  on  the  other  side.  She  exchanged  a  significant 
glance  with  Nekhludoff,  which  expressed  all  her  anxiety 
about  Kryltzoff's  state,  and  then  began  to  talk  at  once  in  a 
cheerful  manner. 

"  It  seems  the  officer  is  ashamed  of  himself,"  she  shouted, 
so  as  to  be  heard  above  the  rattle  of  the  wheels.  "  Bousov- 
kin's  manacles  have  been  removed,  and  he  is  carrying  his  lit- 
tle girl  himself.  Katusha  and  Simonson  are  with  him,  and 
Vera,  too.    She  has  taken  my  place." 

Kryltzoff  said  something  that  could  not  be  heard  because 
of  the  noise,  and  frowning  in  the  effort  to  repress  his  cough 
shook  his  head.  Then  Nekhludoff  stooped  towards  him,  so  as 
to  hear,  and  Kryltzoff,  freeing  his  mouth  of  the  handker- 
chief, whispered : 

"  Much  better  now.    Only  not  to  catch  cold." 

Nekhludoff  nodded  in  acquiescence,  and  again  exchanged 
a  glance  with  Mary  Pavlovna. 

'  How  about  the  problem  of  the  three  bodies  ?  "  whispered 
Kryltzoff,  smiling  with  great  difficulty.  '  The  solution  is 
difficult." 

Nekhludoff  did  not  understand,  but  Mary  Pavlovna  ex- 
plained that  he  meant  the  well-known  mathematical  prob- 
lem which  defined  the  position  of  the  sun,  moon  and  earth, 
which  Kryltzoff  compared  to  the  relations  between  Nekhlu- 
doff, Katusha  and  Simonson.  Kryltzoff  nodded,  to  show 
that  Mary  Pavlovna  had  explained  his  joke  correctly. 

'  The  decision  does  not  lie  with  me,"  Nekhludoff  said. 

"  Did  you  get  my  note  ?  Will  you  do  it  ?  "  Mary  Pavlovna 
asked. 

"  Certainly,"  answered  Nekhludoff;  and  noticing  a  look  of 
displeasure  on  Kryltzoff's  face,  he  returned  to  his  convey- 
ance, and  holding  with  both  hands  to  the  sides  of  the  cart, 
got  in,  which  jolted  with  him  over  the  ruts  of  the  rough  road. 


Resurrection  487 

He  passed  the  gang,  which,  with  its  grey  cloaks  and  sheep- 
skin coats,  chains  and  manacles,  stretched  over  three-quar- 
ters of  a  mile  of  the  road.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  road 
Nekhludoff  noticed  Katusha's  blue  shawl.  Vera  Doukhova's 
black  coat,  and  Simonson's  crochet  cap,  white  worsted  stock- 
ings, with  bands,  like  those  of  sandals,  tied  round  him. 
Simonson  was  walking  with  the  woman  and  carrying  on  a 
heated  discussion. 

When  they  saw  Nekhludoff  they  bowed  to  him,  and 
Simonson  raised  his  hat  in  a  solemn  manner.  Nekhludoff, 
having  nothing  to  say,  did  not  stop,  and  was  soon  ahead  of 
the  carts.  Having  got  again  on  to  a  smoother  part  of  the 
road,  they  drove  still  more  quickly,  but  they  had  continually 
to  turn  aside  to  let  pass  long  rows  of  carts  that  were  moving 
along  the  road  in  both  directions. 

The  road,  which  was  cut  up  by  deep  ruts,  lay  through  a 
thick  pine  forest,  mingled  with  birch  trees  and  larches,  bright 
with  yellow  leaves  they  had  not  yet  shed.  By  the  time  Nekh- 
ludoff had  passed  about  half  the  gang  he  reached  the  end  of 
the  forest.  P'ields  now  lay  stretched  along  both  sides  of  the 
road,  and  the  crosses  and  cupolas  of  a  monastery  appeared 
in  the  distance.  The  clouds  had  dispersed,  and  it  had  cleared 
up  completely ;  the  leaves,  the  frozen  puddles  and  the  gilt 
crosses  and  cupolas  of  the  monastery  glittered  brightly  in 
the  sun  that  had  risen  above  the  forest.  A  little  to  the  right 
mountains  began  to  gleam  white  in  the  blue-grey  distance, 
and  the  trap  entered  a  large  village.  The  village  street  was 
full  of  people,  both  Russians  and  other  nationalities,  wearing 
peculiar  caps  and  cloaks.  Tipsy  men  and  women  crowded 
and  chattered  round  booths,  traktirs,  public  houses  and  carts. 
The  vicinity  of  a  town  was  noticeable.  Giving  a  pull  and  a 
lash  of  the  whip  to  the  horse  on  his  right,  the  driver  sat  down 
sideways  on  the  right  edge  of  the  seat,  so  that  the  reins  hung 
over  that  side,  and  with  evident  desire  of  showing  off,  he 
drove  quickly  down  to  the  river,  which  had  to  be  crossed  by  a 
ferry.  The  raft  was  coming  towards  them,  and  had  reached 
the  middle  of  the  river.  About  twenty  carts  were  waiting  to 
cross.  Nekhludoff  had  not  long  to  wait.  The  raft,  which 
had  been  pulled  far  up  the  stream,  quickly  approached  the 
landing,  carried  by  the  swift  waters.  The  tall,  silent,  broad- 
shouldered,  muscular  ferryman,  dressed  in  sheepskins,  threw 
the  ropes  and  moored  the  raft  with  practised  hand,  landed 
the  carts  that  were  on  it,  and  put  those  that  were  waiting  on 


488  Resurrection 

the  bank  on  board.  The  whole  raft  was  filled  with  vehicles 
and  horses  shuffling  at  the  sight  of  the  water.  The  broad, 
swift  river  splashed  against  the  sides  of  the  ferryboats,  tight- 
ening their  moorings. 

When  the  raft  was  full,  and  Nekhludoffs  cart,  with  the 
horses  taken  out  of  it,  stood  closely  surrounded  by  other  carts 
on  the  side  of  the  raft,  the  ferryman  barred  the  entrance, 
and,  paying  no  heed  to  the  prayers  of  those  who  had  not 
found  room  in  the  raft,  unfastened  the  ropes  and  set  off. 

All  was  quiet  on  the  raft ;  one  could  hear  nothing  but  the 
tramp  of  the  ferryman's  boots  and  the  horses  changing  from 
foot  to  foot. 


Resurrection  489 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

"  JUST   A    WORTHLESS   TRAMP." 

Nekhludoff  stood  on  the  edge  of  the  raft  looking  at  the 
broad  river.  Two  pictures  kept  rising  up  in  his  mind. 
One,  that  of  Kryltzoff,  unprepared  for  death  and  dying, 
made  a  heavy,  sorrowful  impression  on  him.  The  other, 
that  of  Katusha,  full  of  energy,  having  gained  the  love  of 
such  a  man  as  Simonson,  and  found  a  true  and  solid  path 
towards  righteousness,  should  have  been  pleasant,  yet  it  also 
created  a  heavy  impression  on  NekhludofFs  mind,  and  he 
could  not  conquer  this  impression. 

The  vibrating  sounds  of  a  big  brass  bell  reached  them 
from  the  town.  NekhludofFs  driver,  who  stood  by  his  side,, 
and  the  other  men  on  the  raft  raised  their  caps  and  crossed 
themselves,  all  except  a  short,  dishevelled  old  man,  who 
stood  close  to  the  railway  and  whom  Nekhludoff  had  not 
noticed  before.  He  did  not  cross  himself,  but  raised  his 
head  and  looked  at  Nekhludoff.  This  old  man  wore  a 
patched  coat,  cloth  trousers  and  worn  and  patched  shoes. 
He  had  a  small  wallet  on  his  back,  and  a  high  fur  cap  with 
the  fur  much  rubbed  on  his  head. 

"Why  don't  you  pray,  old  chap?"  asked  NekhludofFs- 
driver  as  he  replaced  and  straightened  his  cap.  "  Are  you. 
unbaptized  ?  " 

"  Who's  one  to  pray  to?  "  asked  the  old  man  quickly,  in 
a  determinately  aggressive  tone. 

"  To  whom  ?  To  God,  of  course,"  said  the  driver  sarcas- 
tically. 

"  And  you  just  show  me  where  he  is,  that  god."  There 
was  something  so  serious  and  firm  in  the  expression  of  the 
old  man,  that  the  driver  felt  that  he  had  to  do  with  a 
strong-minded  man,  and  was  a  bit  abashed.  And  trying 
not  to  show  this,  not  to  be  silenced,  and  not  to  be  put  to 
shame  before  the  crowd  that  was  observing  them,  he 
answered  quickly. 

"  Where?   In  heaven,  of  course." 

"  And  have  you  been  up  there  ?  " 


49°  Resurrection 

'  Whether  I've  been  or  not,  every  one  knows  that  you 
must  pray  to  God." 

'  No  one  has  ever  seen  God  at  any  time.  The  only  be- 
gotten Son  who  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father  he  hath  de- 
clared him,"  said  the  old  man  in  the  same  rapid  manner, 
and  with  a  severe  frown  on  his  brow. 

!'  It's  clear  you  are  not  a  Christian,  but  a  hole  worship- 
per. You  pray  to  a  hole,"  said  the  driver,  shoving  the 
handle  of  his  whip  into  his  girdle,  pulling  straight  the  har- 
ness on  one  of  the  horses. 

Some  one  laughed. 

'  What  is  your  faith,  Dad  ?  "  asked  a  middle-aged  man, 
who  stood  by  his  cart  on  the  same  side  of  the  raft. 

"  I  have  no  kind  of  faith,  because  I  believe  no  one — no 
one  but  myself,"  said  the  old  man  as  quickly  and  decidedly 
as  before. 

"  How  can  you  believe  yourself?  "  Nekhludoff  asked,  en- 
tering into  a  conversation  with  him.  "  You  might  make  a 
mistake." 

"  Never  in  your  life,"  the  old  man  said  decidedly,  with  a 
toss  of  his  head. 

"  Then  why  are  there  different  faiths  ? "  Nekhludoff 
asked. 

"  It's  just  because  men  believe  others  and  do  not  believe 
themselves  that  there  are  different  faiths.  I  also  believed 
others,  and  lost  myself  as  in  a  swamp — lost  myself  so  that 
I  had  no  hope  of  finding  my  way  out.  Old  believers  and 
new  believers  and  Judaisers  and  Khlysty  and  Popovitzy, 
and  Bespopovitzy  and  Avstriaks  and  Molokans  and  Skoptzy 
— every  faith  praises  itself  only,  and  so  they  all  creep  about 
like  blind  puppies.  There  are  many  faiths,  but  the  spirit  is 
one — in  me  and  in  you  and  in  him.  So  that  if  every  one 
believes  himself  all  will  be  united.  Every  one  be  himself, 
and  all  will  be  as  one." 

The  old  man  spoke  loudly  and  often  looked  round,  evi- 
dently wishing  that  as  many  as  possible  should  hear  him. 

"  And  have  you  long  held  this  faith  ?  " 

"  I  ?  A  long  time.  This  is  the  twenty-third  year  that  they 
persecute  me." 

"  Persecute  you  ?     How  ?  " 

"  As  they  persecuted  Christ,  so  they  persecute  me.  They 
seize  me,  and  take  me  before  the  courts  and  before  the 
priests,  the  Scribes  and  the  Pharisees.    Once  they  put  me  into 


Resurrection  491 

a  madhouse;  but  they  can  do  nothing  because  I  am  free. 
They  say,  'What  is  your  name?'  thinking  I  shall  name 
myself.  But  I  do  not  give  myself  a  name.  I  have  given  up 
everything:  I  have  no  name,  no  place,  no  country,  nor  any- 
thing. I  am  just  myself.  '  What  is  your  name?  '  '  Man.' 
'  How  old  are  you  ? '  I  say,  '  I  do  not  count  my  years  and 
cannot  count  them,  because  I  always  was,  I  always  shall 
be.'  '  Who  are  your  parents  ?  '  'I  have  no  parents  except 
God  and  Mother  Earth.  God  is  my  father.'  '  And  the 
Tsar  ?  Do  you  recognise  the  Tsar  ? '  they  say.  I  say, 
'  Why  not  ?  He  is  his  own  Tsar,  and  I  am  my  own  Tsar/ 
'  Where's  the  good  of  talking  to  him,'  they  say,  and  I  say, 
'  I  do  not  ask  you  to  talk  to  me.'  And  so  they  begin  torment- 
ing me." 

"  And  where  are  you  going  now  ?  "  asked  Nekhludoff. 
'  Where  God  will  lead  me.    I  work  when  I  can  find  work, 
and  when  I  can't  I  beg."    The  old  man  noticed  that  the  raft 
was  approaching  the  bank  and  stopped,  looking  round  at 
the  bystanders  with  a  look  of  triumph. 

Nekhludoff  got  out  his  purse  and  offered  some  money  to 
the  old  man,  but  he  refused,  saying : 

'  I  do  not  accept  this  sort  of  thing — bread  I  do  accept." 

"  Well,  then,  excuse  me." 

'  There  is  nothing  to  excuse,  you  have  not  offended  me. 
And  it  is  not  possible  to  offend  me."  And  the  old  man  put 
the  wallet  he  had  taken  off  again  on  his  back.  Meanwhile, 
the  post-cart  had  been  landed  and  the  horses  harnessed. 

"  I  wonder  you  should  care  to  talk  to  him,  sir,"  said  the 
driver,  when  Nekhludoff,  having  tipped  the  bowing  ferry- 
man, got  into  the  cart  again.  "  He  is  just  a  worthless 
tramp." 


492  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

NEKHLUDOFF    SEES   THE   GENERAL. 

When  they  got  to  the  top  of  the  hill  bank  the  driver 
turned  to  Nekhludoff. 

"  Which  hotel  am  I  to  drive  to?  " 

"Which  is  the  best?" 

"  Nothing  could  be  better  than  the  Siberian,  but  Duke- 
off's  is  also  good." 

"  Drive  to  whichever  you  like." 

The  driver  again  seated  himself  sideways  and  drove 
faster.  The  town  was  like  all  such  towns.  The  same  kind 
of  houses  with  attic  windows  and  green  roofs,  the  same  kind 
of  cathedral,  the  same  kind  of  shops  and  stores  in  the  prin- 
cipal street,  and  even  the  same  kind  of  policemen.  Only 
the  houses  were  almost  all  of  them  wooden,  and  the  streets 
were  not  paved.  In  one  of  the  chief  streets  the  driver  stop- 
ped at  the  door  of  an  hotel,  but  there  was  no  room  to  be 
had,  so  he  drove  to  another.  And  here  Nekhludoff,  after 
two  months,  found  himself  once  again  in  surroundings  such 
as  he  had  been  accustomed  to  as  far  as  comfort  and  clean- 
liness went.  Though  the  room  he  was  shown  to  was  simple 
enough,  yet  Nekhludoff  felt  greatly  relieved  to  be  there 
after  two  months  of  post-carts,  country  inns  and  halting  sta- 
tions. His  first  business  was  to  clean  himself  of  the  lice 
which  he  had  never  been  able  to  get  thoroughly  rid  of  after 
visiting  a  halting  station.  When  he  had  unpacked  he  went 
to  the  Russian  bath,  after  which  he  made  himself  fit  to  be 
seen  in  a  town,  put  on  a  starched  shirt,  trousers  that  had  got 
rather  creased  along  the  seams,  a  frock-coat  and  an  overcoat, 
and  drove  to  the  Governor  of  the  district.  The  hotel-keeper 
called  an  isvostchik,  whose  well-fed  Kirghiz  horse  and  vibrat- 
ing trap  soon  brought  Nekhludoff  to  the  large  porch  of  a  big 
building,  in  front  of  which  stood  sentinels  and  a  policeman. 
The  house  had  a  garden  in  front,  and  at  the  back,  among  the 
naked  branches  of  aspen  and  birch  trees,  there  grew  thick 
and  dark  green  pines  and  firs.    The  General  was  not  well, 


Resurrection  493 

and  did  not  receive ;  but  Nekhludoff  asked  the  footman  to 
hand  in  his  card  all  the  same,  and  the  footman  came  back 
with  a  favourable  reply. 

"  You  are  asked  to  come  in." 

The  hall,  the  footman,  the  orderly,  the  staircase,  the  danc- 
ing-room, with  its  well-polished  floor,  were  very  much  the 
same  as  in  Petersburg,  only  more  imposing  and  rather 
dirtier.     Nekhludoff  was  shown  into  the  cabinet. 

The  General,  a  bloated,  potato-nosed  man,  with  a  san- 
guine disposition,  large  bumps  on  his  forehead,  bald  head, 
and  puffs  under  his  eyes,  sat  wrapped  in  a  Tartar  silk  dress- 
ing-gown smoking  a  cigarette  and  sipping  his  tea  out  of  a 
tumbler  in  a  silver  holder. 

"  How  do  you  do,  sir?  Excuse  my  dressing-gown;  it  is 
better  so  than  if  I  had  not  received  you  at  all,"  he  said,  pull- 
ing up  his  dressing-gown  over  his  fat  neck  with  its  deep 
folds  at  the  nape.  "  I  am  not  quite  well,  and  do  not  go  out. 
What  has  brought  you  to  our  remote  region?  " 

"  I  am  accompanying  a  gang  of  prisoners,  among  whom 
there  is  a  person  closely  connected  with  me,"  said  Nekhlu- 
doff, and  now  I  have  come  to  see  your  Excellency  partly 
in  behalf  of  this  person,  and  partly  about  another  business." 
The  General  took  a  whiff  and  a  sip  of  tea,  put  his  cigarette 
into  a  malachite  ashpan,  with  his  narrow  eyes  fixed  on 
Nekhludoff,  listening  seriously.  He  only  interrupted  him 
once  to  offer  him  a  cigarette. 

The  General  belonged  to  the  learned  type  of  military  men 
who  believed  that  liberal  and  humane  views  can  be  recon- 
ciled with  their  profession.  But  being  by  nature  a  kind  and 
intelligent  man,  he  soon  felt  the  impossibility  of  such  a  recon- 
ciliatior  ;  so  as  not  to  feel  the  inner  discord  in  which  he 
was  living,  he  gave  himself  up  more  and  more  to  the  habit 
of  drinking,  which  is  so  widely  spread  among  military  men, 
and  was  now  suffering  from  what  doctors  term  alcoholism. 
He  was  imbued  with  alcohol,  and  if  he  drank  any  kind  of 
liquor  it  made  him  tipsy.  Yet  strong  drink  was  an  absolute 
necessity  to  him,  he  could  not  live  without  it,  so  he  was  quite 
drunk  every  evening;  but  had  grown  so  used  to  this  state 
that  he  did  not  reel  nor  talk  any  special  nonsense.  And  if 
he  did  talk  nonsense,  it  was  accepted  as  words  of  wisdom 
because  of  the  important  and  high  position  which  he  occu- 
pied. Only  in  the  morning,  just  at  the  time  Nekhludoff 
came  to  see  him,  he  was  like  a  reasonable  being,  could  under- 


494  Resurrection 

stand  what  was  said  to  him,  and  fulfil  more  or  less  aptly  a 
proverb  he  was  fond  of  repeating:  "He's  tipsy,  but  he's 
wise,  so  he's  pleasant  in  two  ways." 

The  higher  authorities  knew  he  was  a  drunkard,  but  he 
was  more  educated  than  the  rest,  though  his  education  had 
stopped  at  the  spot  where  drunkenness  had  got  hold  of  him. 
He  was  bold,  adroit,  of  imposing  appearance,  and  showed 
tact  even  when  tipsy ;  therefore,  he  was  appointed,  and  was 
allowed  to  retain  so  public  and  responsible  an  office. 

Nekhludoff  told  him  that  the  person  he  was  interested  in 
was  a  woman,  that  she  was  sentenced,  though  innocent,  and 
that  a  petition  had  been  sent  to  the  Emperor  in  her  behalf. 

"  Yes,  well  ?  "  said  the  General. 

'  I  was  promised  in  Petersburg  that  the  news  concern- 
ing her  fate  should  be  sent  to  me  not  later  than  this  month 
and  to  this  place " 

The  General  stretched  his  hand  with  its  stumpy  fingers 
towards  the  table,  and  rang  a  bell,  still  looking  at  Nekhlu- 
doff and  puffing  at  his  cigarette. 

"  So  I  would  like  to  ask  you  that  this  woman  should  be 
allowed  to  remain  here  until  the  answer  to  her  petition 


comes." 


The  footman,  an  orderly  in  uniform,  came  in. 

"'  Ask  if  Anna  Vasilievna  is  up,"  said  the  General  to  the 
orderly,  "  and  bring  some  more  tea."  Then,  turning  to 
Nekhludoff,  "Yes,  and  what  else?" 

"  My  other  request  concerns  a  political  prisoner  who  is 
with  the  same  gang." 

"  Dear  me,"  said  the  General,  with  a  significant  shake  of 
the  head. 

"  He  is  seriously  ill — dying,  and  he  will  probably  be  left 
here  in  the  hospital,  so  one  of  the  women  prisoners  would 
like  to  stay  behind  with  him." 

"  She  is  no  relation  of  his  ?  " 

"  No,  but  she  is  willing  to  marry  him  if  that  will  enable 
her  to  remain  with  him." 

The  General  looked  fixedly  with  twinkling  eyes  at  his  in- 
terlocutor, and,  evidently  with  a  wish  to  discomfit  him,  lis- 
tened, smoking  in  silence. 

When  Nekhludoff  had  finished,  the  General  took  a  book 
off  the  table,  and,  wetting  his  finger,  quickly  turned  over  the 
pages  and  found  the  statute  relating  to  marriage. 


Resurrection  495 

"  What  is  she  sentenced  to?  "  he  asked,  looking  up  from 
the  book. 

"She?    To  hard  labour." 

'  Well,  then,  the  position  of  one  sentenced  to  that  cannot 
be  bettered  by  marriage." 

"  Yes,  but " 

"  Excuse  me.  Even  if  a  free  man  should  marry  her,  she 
would  have  to  serve  her  term.  The  question  in  such  cases 
is,  whose  is  the  heavier  punishment,  hers  or  his?  " 

"  They  are  both  sentenced  to  hard  labour." 

'  Very  well ;  so  they  are  quits,"  said  the  General,  with  a 
laugh.  She's  got  what  he  has,  only  as  he  is  sick  he  may  be 
left  behind,  and  of  course  what  can  be  done  to  lighten  his 
fate  shall  be  done.  But  as  for  her,  even  if  she  did  marry  him, 
she  could  not  remain  behind." 

'  The  Generaless  is  having  her  coffee,"  the  footman  an- 
nounced. 

The  General  nodded  and  continued : 

"  However,  I  shall  think  about  it.  What  are  their  names? 
Put  them  down  here." 

Nekhludoff  wrote  down  the  names. 

Nekhludoff's  request  to  be  allowed  to  see  the  dying  man 
the  General  answered  by  saying,  "  Neither  can  I  do  that. 
Of  course  I  do  not  suspect  you,  but  you  take  an  interest  in 
him  and  in  the  others,  and  you  have  money,  and  here  with 
us  anything  can  be  done  with  money.  I  have  been  told  to 
put  down  bribery.  But  how  can  I  put  down  bribery  when 
everybody  takes  bribes?  And  the  lower  their  rank  the  more 
ready  they  are  to  be  bribed.  How  can  one  find  it  out  across 
more  than  three  thousand  miles?  There  any  official  is  a 
little  Tsar,  just  as  I  am  here,"  and  he  laughed.  '  You  have 
in  all  likelihood  been  to  see  the  political  prisoners ;  you  gave 
money  and  got  permission  to  see  them,"  he  said,  with  a 
smile.    "  Is  it  not  so?  " 

"  Yes,  it  is." 

"  I  quite  understand  that  you  had  to  do  it.  You  pity  a 
political  prisoner  and  wish  to  see  him.  And  the  inspector 
or  the  convoy  soldier  accepts,  because  he  has  a  salary  of 
twice  twenty  copecks  and  a  family,  and  he  can't  help  accept- 
ing it.  In  his  place  and  yours  I  should  have  acted  in  the 
same  way  as  you  and  he  did.  But  in  my  position  I  do  not 
permit  myself  to  swerve  an  inch  from  the  letter  of  the  law, 
just  because  I  am  a  man,  and  might  be  influenced  by  pity. 


496  Resurrection 

But  I  am  a  member  of  the  executive,  and  I  have  been  placed 
in  a  position  of  trust  on  certain  conditions,  and  these  condi- 
tions I  must  carry  out.  Well,  so  this  business  is  finished. 
And  now  let  us  hear  what  is  going  on  in  the  metropolis." 
And  the  General  began  questioning  with  the  evident  desire 
to  hear  the  news  and  to  show  how  very  human  he  was. 


Resurrection  497 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE    SENTENCE    COMMUTED. 

"  By-the-way,  where  are  you  staying?  "  asked  the  Gen- 
eral as  he  was  taking  leave  of  Nekhludoff.  "At  Duke's? 
Well,  it's  horrid  enough  there.  Come  and  dine  with  us  at  five 
o'clock.    You  speak  English  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do." 

'  That's  good.  You  see,  an  English  traveller  has  just 
arrived  here.  He  is  studying  the  question  of  transportation 
and  examining  the  prisons  of  Siberia.  Well,  he  is  dining 
with  us  to-night,  and  you  come  and  meet  him.  We  dine  at 
five,  and  my  wife  expects  punctuality.  Then  I  shall  also  give 
you  an  answer  what  to  do  about  that  woman,  and  perhaps  it 
may  be  possible  to  leave  some  one  behind  with  the  sick  pris- 
oner." 

Having  made  his  bow  to  the  General,  Nekhludoff  drove 
to  the  post-office,  feeling  himself  in  an  extremely  animated 
and  energetic  frame  of  mind. 

The  post-office  was  a  low-vaulted  room.  Several  officials 
sat  behind  a  counter  serving  the  people,  of  whom  there  was 
quite  a  crowd.  One  official  sat  with  his  head  bent  to  one  side 
and  kept  stamping  the  envelopes,  which  he  slipped  dexter- 
ously under  the  stamp.  Nekhludoff  had  not  long  to  wait. 
As  soon  as  he  had  given  his  name,  everything  that  had  come 
for  him  by  post  was  at  once  handed  to  him.  There  was  a 
good  deal :  letters,  and  money,  and  books,  and  the  last  num- 
ber of  Fatherland  Notes.  Nekhludoff  took  all  these  things 
to  a  wooden  bench,  on  which  a  soldier  with  a  book  in  his 
hand  sat  waiting  for  something,  took  the  seat  by  his  side, 
and  began  sorting  the  letters.  Among  them  was  one  regis- 
tered letter  in  a  fine  envelope,  with  a  distinctly  stamped 
bright  red  seal.  He  broke  the  seal,  and  seeing  a  letter  from 
Selenin  and  some  official  paper  inside  the  envelope,  he  felt 
the  blood  rush  to  his  face,  and  his  heart  stood  still.  It  was 
the  answer  to  Katusha's  petition.  What  would  that  answer 
be  ?  Nekhludoff  glanced  hurriedly  through  the  letter,  written 
in  an  illegibly  small,  hard,  and  cramped  hand,  and  breathed  a 
sigh  of  relief.    The  answer  was  a  favourable  one. 


498  Resurrection 

"  Dear  friend,"  wrote  Selenin,  "  our  last  talk  has  made  a 
profound  impression  on  me.  You  were  right  concerning 
Maslova.  I  looked  carefully  through  the  case,  and  see  that 
shocking  injustice  has  been  done  her.  It  could  be  remedied 
only  by  the  Committee  of  Petitions  before  which  you  laid  it. 
I  managed  to  assist  at  the  examination  of  the  case,  and  I  en- 
close herewith  the  copy  of  the  mitigation  of  the  sentence. 
Your  aunt,  the  Countess  Katerina  Ivanovna,  gave  me  the 
address  which  I  am  sending  this  to.  The  original  document 
has  been  sent  to  the  place  where  she  was  imprisoned  before 
her  trial,  and  will  from  there  be  probably  sent  at  once  to  the 
principal  Government  office  in  Siberia.  I  hasten  to  communi- 
cate this  glad  news  to  you  and  warmly  press  your  hand. 

"  Yours, 

"  Selenin." 

The  document  ran  thus :  "  His  Majesty's  office  for  the 
reception  of  petitions,  addressed  to  his  Imperial  name  " — 
here  followed  the  date — "  by  order  of  the  chief  of  his  Maj- 
esty's office  for  the  reception  of  petitions  addressed  to  his 
Imperial  name.  The  meschanka  Katerina  Maslova  is  hereby 
informed  that  his  Imperial  Majesty,  with  reference  to  her 
most  loyal  petition,  condescending  to  her  request,  deigns  to 
order  that  her  sentence  to  hard  labour  should  be  commuted  to 
one  of  exile  to  the  less  distant  districts  of  Siberia." 

This  was  joyful  and  important  news ;  all  that  Nekhludoff 
could  have  hoped  for  Katusha,  and  for  himself  also,  had 
happened.  It  was  true  that  the  new  position  she  was  in 
brought  new  complications  with  it.  While  she  was  a  con- 
vict, marriage  with  her  could  only  be  fictitious,  and  would 
have  had  no  meaning  except  that  he  would  have  been  in  a 
position  to  alleviate  her  condition.  And  now  there  was  noth- 
ing to  prevent  their  living  together,  and  Nekhludoff  had  not 
prepared  himself  for  that.  And,  besides,  what  of  her  rela- 
tions to  Simonson?  What  was  the  meaning  of  her  words 
yesterday?  If  she  consented  to  a  union  with  Simonson, 
would  it  be  well?  He  could  not  unravel  all  these  questions, 
and  gave  up  thinking  about  it.  "  It  will  all  clear  itself  up 
later  on,"  he  thought ;  "  I  must  not  think  about  it  now,  but 
convey  the  glad  news  to  her  as  soon  as  possible,  and  set  her 
free.  He  thought  that  the  copy  of  the  document  he  had 
received  would  suffice,  so  when  he  left  the  post-office  he  told 
the  isvostchik  to  drive  him  to  the  prison. 

Though  he  had  received  no  order  from  the  governor  to  visit 


Resurrection  499 

the  prison  that  morning,  he  knew  by  experience  that  it  was 
easy  to  get  from  the  subordinates  what  the  higher  officials 
would  not  grant,  so  now  he  meant  to  try  and  get  into  the 
prison  to  bring  Katusha  the  joyful  news,  and  perhaps  to  get 
her  set  free,  and  at  the  same  time  to  inquire  about  Kryltzoff's 
state  of  health,  and  tell  him  and  Mary  Pavlovna  what  the 
general  had  said.  The  prison  inspector  was  a  tall,  imposing- 
looking  man,  with  moustaches  and  whiskers  that  twisted 
towards  the  corners  of  his  mouth.  He  received  Nekhludoff 
very  gravely,  and  told  him  plainly  that  he  could  not  grant 
an  outsider  the  permission  to  interview  the  prisoners  with- 
out a  special  order  from  his  chief.  To  Nekhludoff 's  remark 
that  he  had  been  allowed  to  visit  the  prisoners  even  in  the 
cities  he  answered : 

"  That  may  be  so,  but  I  do  not  allow  it,"  and  his  tone 
implied,  "  You  city  gentlemen  may  think  to  surprise  and 
perplex  us,  but  we  in  Eastern  Siberia  also  know  what  the 
law  is,  and  may  even  teach  it  you."  The  copy  of  a  document 
straight  from  the  Emperor's  own  office  did  not  have  any 
effect  on  the  prison  inspector  either.  He  decidedly  refused 
to  let  Nekhludoff  come  inside  the  prison  walls.  He  only 
smiled  contemptuously  at  Nekhludoff's  naive  conclusion,  that 
the  copy  he  had  received  would  suffice  to  set  Maslova  free, 
and  declared  that  a  direct  order  from  his  own  superiors 
would  be  needed  before  any  one  could  be  set  at  liberty.  The 
only  things  he  agreed  to  do  were  to  communicate  to  Maslova 
that  a  mitigation  had  arrived  for  her,  and  to  promise  that  he 
would  not  detain  her  an  hour  after  the  order  from  his  chief 
to  liberate  her  would  arrive.  He  would  also  give  no  news 
of  Kryltzoff,  saying  he  could  not  even  tell  if  there  was  such 
a  prisoner ;  and  so  Nekhludoff,  having  accomplished  next  to 
nothing,  got  into  his  trap  and  drove  back  to  his  hotel. 

The  strictness  of  the  inspector  was  chiefly  due  to  the  fact 
that  an  epidemic  of  typhus  had  broken  out  in  the  prison, 
owing  to  twice  the  number  of  persons  that  it  was  intended 
for  being  crowded  in  it.  The  isvostchik  who  drove  Nekhlu- 
doff said,  "  Quite  a  lot  of  people  are  dying  in  the  prison  every 
day,  some  kind  of  disease  having  sprung  up  among  them, 
so  that  as  many  as  twenty  were  buried  in  one  day." 


500  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


THE    GENERAL'S    HOUSEHOLD. 


In  spite  of  his  ineffectual  attempt  at  the  prison,  Nekhlii- 
doff,  still  in  the  same  vigorous,  energetic  frame  of  mind, 
went  to  the  Governor's  office  to  see  if  the  original  of  the 
document  had  arrived  for  Maslova.  It  had  not  arrived,  so 
Nekhludoff  went  back  to  the  hotel  and  wrote  without  delay 
to  Selenin  and  the  advocate  about  it.  When  he  had  finished 
writing  he  looked  at  his  watch  and  saw  it  was  time  to  go  to 
the  General's  dinner  party. 

On  the  way  he  again  began  wondering  how  Katusha 
would  receive  the  news  of  the  mitigation  of  her  sentence. 
Where  she  would  be  settled  ?  How  he  should  live  with  her  ? 
What  about  Simonson  ?  WThat  would  his  relations  to  her  be  ? 
He  remembered  the  change  that  had  taken  place  in  her,  and 
this  reminded  him  of  her  past.  "  I  must  forget  it  for  the 
present,"  he  thought,  and  again  hastened  to  drive  her  out  of 
his  mind.  '  When  the  time  comes  I  shall  see,"  he  said  to 
himself,  and  began  to  think  of  what  he  ought  to  say  to  the 
General. 

The  dinner  at  the  General's,  with  the  luxury  habitual  to 
the  lives  of  the  wealthy  and  those  of  high  rank,  to  which 
Nekhludoff  had  been  accustomed,  was  extremely  enjoyable 
after  he  had  been  so  long  deprived  not  only  of  luxury  but 
even  of  the  most  ordinary  comforts.  The  mistress  of  the 
house  was  a  Petersburg  grand e  dame  of  the  old  school,  a 
maid  of  honour  at  the  court  of  Nicholas  I.,  who  spoke 
French  quite  naturally  and  Russian  very  unnaturally.  She 
held  herself  very  erect  and,  moving  her  hands,  she  kept  her 
elbows  close  to  her  waist.  She  was  quietly  and  somewhat 
sadly  considerate  for  her  husband,  and  extremely  kind  to  all 
her  visitors,  though  with  a  tinge  of  difference  in  her  be- 
haviour according  to  their  position.  She  received  Nekhlu- 
doff as  if  he  were  one  of  them,  and  her  fine,  almost  imper- 
ceptible flattery  made  him  once  again  aware  of  his  virtues 
and  gave  him  a  feeling  of  satisfaction.  She  made  him  feel 
that  she  knew  of  that  honest  though  rather  singular  step  of 


Resurrection  501 

his  which  had  brought  him  to  Siberia,  and  held  him  to  be 
an  exceptional  man.  This  refined  flattery  and  the  elegance 
and  luxury  of  the  General's  house  had  the  effect  of  making 
Nekhludoff  succumb  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  handsome  sur- 
roundings, the  delicate  dishes  and  the  ease  and  pleasure  of 
intercourse  with  educated  people  of  his  own  class,  so  that  the 
surroundings  in  the  midst  of  which  he  had  lived  for  the  last 
months  seemed  a  dream  from  which  he  had  awakened  to 
reality.  Besides  those  of  the  household,  the  General's  daugh- 
ter and  her  husband  and  an  aide-de-camp,  there  were  an 
Englishman,  a  merchant  interested  in  gold  mines,  and  the 
governor  of  a  distant  Siberian  town.  All  these  people 
seemed  pleasant  to  Nekhludoff.  The  Englishman,  a  healthy 
man  with  a  rosy  complexion,  who  spoke  very  bad  French, 
but  whose  command  of  his  own  language  was  very  good  and 
oratorically  impressive,  who  had  seen  a  great  deal,  was  very 
interesting  to  listen  to  when  he  spoke  about  America,  India, 
Japan  and  Siberia. 

The  young  merchant  interested  in  the  gold  mines,  the  son 
of  a  peasant,  whose  evening  dress  was  made  in  London, 
who  had  diamond  studs  to  his  shirt,  possessed  a  fine  library, 
contributed  freely  to  philanthropic  work,  and  held  liberal 
European  views,  seemed  pleasant  to  Nekhludoff  as  a  sample 
of  a  quite  new  and  good  type  of  civilised  European  culture, 
grafted  on  a  healthy,  uncultivated  peasant  stem. 

The  governor  of  the  distant  Siberian  town  was  that  same 
man  who  had  been  so  much  talked  about  in  Petersburg  at  the 
time  Nekhludoff  was  there.  He  was  plump,  with  thin,  curly 
hair,  soft  blue  eyes,  carefully-tended  white  hands,  with  rings 
on  the  fingers,  a  pleasant  smile,  and  very  big  in  the  lower 
part  of  his  body.  The  master  of  the  house  valued  this  gov- 
ernor because  of  all  the  officials  he  was  the  only  one  who 
would  not  be  bribed.  The  mistress  of  the  house,  who  was 
very  fond  of  music  and  a  very  good  pianist  herself,  valued 
him  because  he  was  a  good  musician  and  played  duets  with 
her. 

Nekhludoff  was  in  such  good  humour  that  even  this  man 
was  not  unpleasant  to  him,  in  spite  of  what  he  knew  of  his 
vices.  The  bright,  energetic  aide-de-camp,  with  his  bluey 
grey  chin,  who  was  continually  offering  his  services,  pleased 
Nekhludoff  by  his  good  nature.  But  it  was  the  charming 
young  couple,  the  General's  daughter  and  her  husband,  who 
pleased  Nekhludoff  best.    The  daughter  was  a  plain-looking, 


502  Resurrection 

simple-minded  young  woman,  wholly  absorbed  in  her  two 
children.  Her  husband,  whom  she  had  fallen  in  love 
with  and  married  after  a  long  struggle  with  her  parents,  was 
a  Liberal,  who  had  taken  honours  at  the  Moscow  University, 
a  modest  and  intellectual  young  man  in  Government  service, 
who  made  up  statistics  and  studied  chiefly  the  foreign  tribes, 
which  he  liked  and  tried  to  save  from  dying  out. 

All  of  them  were  not  only  kind  and  attentive  to  Nekhlu- 
doff,  but  evidently  pleased  to  see  him,  as  a  new  and  interest- 
ing acquaintance.  The  General,  who  came  in  to  dinner  in 
uniform  and  with  a  white  cross  round  his  neck,  greeted 
Nekhludoff  as  a  friend,  and  asked  the  visitors  to  the  side 
table  to  take  a  glass  of  vodka  and  something  to  whet  their 
appetites.  The  General  asked  Nekhludoff  what  he  had  been 
doing  since  he  left  that  morning,  and  Nekhludoff  told  him 
he  had  been  to  the  post-office  and  received  the  news  of  the 
mitigation  of  that  person's  sentence  that  he  had  spoken  of  in 
the  morning,  and  again  asked  for  a  permission  to  visit  the 
prison. 

The  General,  apparently  displeased  that  business  should 
be  mentioned  at  dinner,  frowned  and  said  nothing. 

"  Have  a  glass  of  vodka?"  he  said,  addressing  the  English- 
man, who  had  just  come  up  to  the  table.  The  Englishman 
drank  a  glass,  and  said  he  had  been  to  see  the  cathedral  and 
the  factory,  but  would  like  to  visit  the  great  transportation 
prison. 

"  Oh,  that  will  just  fit  in,"  said  the  General  to  Nekhludoff. 
(  You  will  be  able  to  go  together.  Give  them  a  pass,"  he 
added,  turning  to  his  aide-de-camp. 

'  When  would  you  like  to  go?  "  Nekhludoff  asked. 

'  I  prefer  visiting  the  prisons  in  the  evening,"  the  English- 
man answered.  "  All  are  indoors  and  there  is  no  prepara- 
tion ;  you  find  them  all  as  they  are." 

"  Ah,  he  would  like  to  see  it  in  all  its  glory !  Let  hirn  do 
so.  I  have  written  about  it  and  no  attention  has  been  paid  to 
it.  Let  him  find  out  from  foreign  publications,"  the  Gen- 
eral said,  and  went  up  to  the  dinner  table,  where  the  mistress 
of  the  house  was  showing  the  visitors  their  places.  Nekhlu- 
doff sat  between  his  hostess  and  the  Englishman.  In  front 
of  him  sat  the  General's  daughter  and  the  ex-director  of  the 
Government  department  in  Petersburg.  The  conversation  at 
dinner  was  carried  on  by  fits  and  starts ;  now  it  was  India 
that  the  Englishman  talked  about,  now  the  Tonkin  expedi- 


Resurrection  503 

tion  that  the  General  strongly  disapproved  of,  now  the 
universal  bribery  and  corruption  in  Siberia.  All  these  topics 
did  not  interest  Nekhludoff  much. 

But  after  dinner,  over  their  coffee,  Nekhludoff  and  the 
Englishman  began  a  very  interesting  conversation  about 
Gladstone,  and  Nekhludoff  thought  he  had  said  many  clever 
things  which  were  noticed  by  his  interlocutor.  And  Nekh- 
ludoff felt  it  more  and  more  pleasant  to  be  sipping  his  coffee 
seated  in  an  easy-chair  among  amiable,  well-bred  people. 
And  when  at  the  Englishman's  request  the  hostess  went  up 
to  the  piano  with  the  ex-director  of  the  Government  depart- 
ment, and  they  began  to  play  in  well-practised  style  Beet- 
hoven's fifth  symphony,  Nekhludoff  fell  into  a  mental  state 
of  perfect  self-satisfaction  to  which  he  had  long  been  a 
stranger,  as  though  he  had  only  just  found  out  what  a  good 
fellow  he  was. 

The  grand  piano  was  a  splendid  instrument,  the  symphony 
was  well  performed.  At  least,  so  it  seemed  to  Nekhludoff, 
who  knew  and  liked  that  symphony.  Listening  to  the  beau- 
tiful andante,  he  felt  a  tickling  in  his  nose,  he  was  so  touched 
by  his  many  virtues. 

Nekhludoff  thanked  his  hostess  for  the  enjoyment  that  he 
had  been  deprived  of  for  so  long,  and  was  about  to  say  good- 
bye and  go  when  the  daughter  of  the  house  came  up  to  him 
with  a  determined  look  and  said,  with  a  blush,  "  You  asked 
about  my  children.    Would  you  like  to  see  them?  " 

"  She  thinks  that  everybody  wants  to  see  her  children," 
said  her  mother,  smiling  at  her  daughter's  winning  tactless- 
ness.   "  The  Prince  is  not  at  all  interested." 

;  "  On  the  contrary,  I  am  very  much  interested,"  said  Nekh- 
ludoff, touched  by  this  overflowing,  happy  mother-love. 
"  Please  let  me  see  them." 

"  She's  taking  the  Prince  to  see  her  babies,"  the  General 
shouted,  laughing  from  the  card-table,  where  he  sat  with  his 
son-in-law,  the  mine  owner  and  the  aide-de-camp.  "  Go,  go, 
pay  your  tribute." 

The  young  woman,  visibly  excited  by  the  thought  that 
judgment  was  about  to  be  passed  on  'her  children,  went 
quickly  towards  the  inner  apartments,  followed  by  Nekh- 
ludoff. In  the  third,  a  lofty  room,  papered  with  white  and 
lit  up  by  a  shaded  lamp,  stood  two  small  cots,  and  a  nurse 
with  a  white  cape  on  her  shoulders  sat  between  the  cots.  She 
had  a  kindly,  true  Siberian  face,  with  its  high  cheek-bones. 


504  Resurrection 

The  nurs.e  rose  and  bowed.  The  mother  stooped  over  the 
first  cot,  in  which  a  two-year-old  little  girl  lay  peacefully 
sleeping  with  her  little  mouth  open  and  her  long,  curly  hair 
tumbled  over  the  pillow. 

"  This  is  Katie/'  said  the  mother,  straightening  the  white 
and  blue  crochet  coverlet,  from  under  which  a  little  white 
foot  pushed  itself  languidly  out. 

"  Is  she  not  prettv?    She's  only  two  years  old,  you  know." 

"  Lovely." 

"  And  this  is  Vasiuk,  as  '  grandpapa  '  calls  him.  Quite  a 
different  type.    A  Siberian,  is  he  not  ?  " 

"  A  splendid  boy,"  said  Nekhludoff,  as  he  looked  at  the 
little  fatty  lying  asleep  on  his  stomach. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  mother,  with  a  smile  full  of  meaning. 

Nekhludoff  recalled  to  his  mind  chains,  shaved  heads, 
fighting  debauchery,  the  dying  Kryltzoff,  Katusha  and  the 
whole  of  her  past,  and  he  began  to  feel  envious  and  to  wish 
for  what  he  saw  here,  which  now  seemed  to  him  pure  and 
refined  happiness. 

After  having  repeatedly  expressed  his  admiration  of  the 
children,  thereby  at  least  partially  satisfying  their  mother, 
who  eagerly  drank  in  this  praise,  he  followed  her  back  to  the 
drawing-room,  where  the  Englishman  was  waiting  for  him 
to  go  and  visit  the  prison,  as  they  had  arranged.  Having 
taken  leave  of  their  hosts,  the  old  and  the  young  ones,  the 
Englishman  and  Nekhludoff  went  out  into  the  porch  of  the 
General's  house. 

The  weather  had  changed.  It  was  snowing,  and  the  snow 
fell  densely  in  large  flakes,  and  already  covered  the  road,  the 
roof  and  the  trees  in  the  garden,  the  steps  of  the  porch,  the 
roof  of  the  trap  and  the  back  of  the  horse. 

The  Englishman  had  a  trap  of  his  own,  and  Nekhludoff, 
having  told  the  coachman  to  drive  to  the  prison,  called  his 
isvostchik  and  got  in  with  the  heavy  sense  of  having  to  fulfil 
an  unpleasant  duty,  and  followed  the  Englishman  over  the 
soft  snow,  through  which  the  wheels  turned  with  difficulty. 


Resurrection  505 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


maslova's  decision. 


The  dismal  prison  house,  with  its  sentinel  and  lamp  burn- 
ing under  the  gateway,  produced  an  even  more  dismal  im- 
pression, with  its  long  row  of  lighted  windows,  than  it  had 
done  in  the  morning,  in  spite  of  the  white  covering  that  now 
lay  over  everything — the  porch,  the  roof  and  the  walls. 

The  imposing  inspector  came  up  to  the  gate  and  read  the 
pass  that  had  been  given  to  Nekhludoff  and  the  Englishman 
by  the  light  of  the  lamp,  shrugged  his  fine  shoulders  in  sur- 
prise, but,  in  obedience  to  the  order,  asked  the  visitors  to  fol- 
low him  in.  He  led  them  through  the  courtyard  and  then  in 
at  a  door  to  the  right  and  up  a  staircase  into  the  office.  He 
offered  them  a  seat  and  asked  what  he  could  do  for  them, 
and  when  he  heard  that  Nekhludoff  would  like  to  see  Mas- 
lova  at  once,  he  sent  a  jailer  to  fetch  her.  Then  he  prepared 
himself  to  answer  the  questions  which  the  Englishman  be- 
gan to  put  to  him,  Nekhludoff  acting  as  interpreter. 

"How  many  persons  is  the  prison  built  to  hold?"  the 
Englishman  asked.  '  How  many  are  confined  in  it  ?  How 
many  men?  How  many  women?  Children?  How  many 
sentenced  to  the  mines?  How  many  exiles?  How  many 
sick  persons?  " 

Nekhludoff  translated  the  Englishman's  and  the  inspect- 
or's words  without  paying  any  attention  to  their  meaning, 
and  felt  an  awkwardness  he  had  not  in  the  least  expected  at 
the  thought  of  the  impending  interview.  When,  in  the  midst 
of  a  sentence  he  was  translating  for  the  Englishman,  he 
heard  the  sound  of  approaching  footsteps,  and  the  office  door 
opened,  and,  as  had  happened  many  times  before,  a  jailer 
came  in,  followed  by  Katusha,  and  he  saw  her  with  a  kerchief 
tied  round  her  head,  and  in  a  prison  jacket,  a  heavy  sensation 
came  over  him.  '  I  wish  to  live,  I  want  a  family,  children, 
I  want  a  human  life."  These  thoughts  flashed  through  his 
mind  as  she  entered  the  room  with  rapid  steps  and  blinking 
her  eyes. 


5°6 


Resurrection 


He  rose  and  made  a  few  steps  to  meet  her,  and  her  face 
appeared  hard  and  unpleasant  to  him.  It  was  again  as  it  had 
been  at  the  time  when  she  reproached  him.  She  flushed  and 
turned  pale,  her  fingers  nervously  twisting  a  corner  of  her 
jacket.    She  looked  up  at  him,  then  cast  down  her  eyes. 

"  You  know  that  a  mitigation  has  come  ?  " 

"  Yes,  the  jailer  told  me." 

"  So  that  as  soon  as  the  original  document  arrives  you 
mav  come  away  and  settle  where  you  like.  We  shall  con- 
sider  " 

She  interrupted  him  hurriedly.  "  What  have  I  to  con- 
sider? Where  Valdemar  Simonson  goes,  there  I  shall  fol- 
low." In  spite  of  the  excitement  she  was  in  she  raised  her 
eyes  to  Nekhludoff's  and  pronounced  these  words  quickly 
and  distinctlv,  as  if  she  had  prepared  what  she  had  to  say. 

"Indeed!" 

'  Well,  Dmitri  Ivanovitch,  you  see  he  wishes  me  to  live 
with  him "  and  she  stopped,  quite  frightened,  and  cor- 
rected herself.  "  He  wishes  me  to  be  near  him.  What  more 
can  I  desire?  I  must  look  upon  it  as  happiness.  What  else 
is  there  for  me " 

"  One  of  two  things,"  thought  he.  "  Either  she  loves 
Simonson  and  does  not  in  the  least  require  the  sacrifice  I 
imagined  I  was  bringing  her,  or  she  still  loves  me  and  re- 
fuses me  for  my  own  sake,  and  is  burning  her  ships  by 
uniting  her  fate  with  Simonson."  And  Nekhludoff  felt 
ashamed  and  knew  that  he  was  blushing. 

'  And  you  yourself,  do  you  love  him?  "  he  asked. 

'  Loving  or  not  loving,  what  does  it  matter?  I  have  given 
up  all  that.  And  then  Valdemar  Simonson  is  quite  an  ex- 
ceptional man." 

'  Yes,  of  course,"  Nekhludoff  began.  "  He  is  a  splendid 
man,  and  I  think " 

But  she  again  interrupted  him,  as  if  afraid  that  he  might 
say  too  much  or  that  she  should  not  say  all.  "  No,  Dmitri 
Ivanovitch,  you  must  forgive  me  if  I  am  not  doing  what  you 
wish,"  and  she  looked  at  him  with  those  unfathomable, 
squinting  eyes  of  hers.  '  Yes,  it  evidently  must  be  so.  You 
must  live,  too." 

She  said  just  what  he  had  been  telling  himself  a  few  mo- 
ments before,  but  he  no  longer  thought  so  now  and  felt  very 
differently.  He  was  not  only  ashamed,  but  felt  sorry  to  lose 
all  he  was  losing  with  her.    ''  I  did  not  expect  this,"  he  said. 


Resurrection  507 

"Why  should  you  live  here  and  suffer?  You  have  suf- 
fered enough." 

"  I  have  not  suffered.  It  was  good  for  me,  and  I  should 
like  to  go  on  serving  you  if  I  could." 

'  We  do  not  want  anything,"  she  said,  and  looked  at  him. 
'  You  have  done  so  much  for  me  as  it  is.    If  it  had  not  been 

for  you "     She  wished  to  say    more,  but    her    voice 

trembled. 

"  You  certainly  have  no  reason  to  thank  me,"  Nekhludoff 
said. 

'  Where  is  the  use  of  our  reckoning?  God  will  make  up 
our  accounts,"  she  said,  and  her  black  eyes  began  to  glisten 
with  the  tears  that  filled  them. 

"'  What  a  good  woman  you  are,"  he  said. 

"  I  good  ?  "  she  said  through  her  tears,  and  a  pathetic  smile 
lit  up  her  face. 

'"  Are  you  ready  ?  "  the  Englishman  asked. 

"  Directly,"  replied  Nekhludoff,  and  asked  her  about 
Kryltzoff.  ' 

She  got  over  her  emotion  and  quietly  told  him  all  she 
knew.  Kryltzoff  was  very  weak  and  had  been  sent  into  the 
infirmary.  Mary  Pavlovna  was  very  anxious,  and  had  asked 
to  be  allowed  to  go  to  the  infirmary  as  a  nurse,  but  could 
not  get  the  permission. 

"  Am  I  to  go?  "  she  asked,  noticing  that  the  Englishman 
was  waiting. 

4  I  will  not  say  good-bye ;  I  shall  see  you  again,"  said 
Nekhludoff,  holding  out  his  hand. 

"  Forgive  me,"  she  said  so  low  that  he  could  hardly  hear 
her.  Their  eyes  met,  and  Nekhludoff  knew  by  the  strange 
look  of  her  squinting  eyes  and  the  pathetic  smile  with  which 
she  said  not  "  Good-bye  "  but  "  Forgive  me,"  that  of  the  two 
reasons  that  might  have  led  to  her  resolution,  the  second  was 
the  real  one.  She  loved  him,  and  thought  that  by  uniting 
herself  to  him  she  would  be  spoiling  his  life.  By  going 
with  Simonson  she  thought  she  would  be  setting  Nekhludoff 
free,  and  felt  glad  that  she  had  done  what  she  meant  to  do, 
and  yet  she  suffered  at  parting  from  him. 

She  pressed  his  hand,  turned  quickly  and  left  the  room. 

Nekhludoff  was  ready  to  go,  but  saw  that  the  Englishman 
was  noting  something  down,  and  did  not  disturb  him, 
but  sat  down  on  a  wooden  seat  by  the  wall,  and  suddenly  a 
feeling  of  terrible  weariness  came  over  him.     It  was  not  a 


508  Resurrection 

sleepless  night  that  had  tired  him,  not  the  journey,  not  the 
excitement,  but  he  felt  terribly  tired  of  living.  He  leaned 
against  the  back  of  the  bench,  shut  his  eyes  and  in  a  moment 
fell  into  a  deep,  heavy  sleep. 

'  Well,  would  you  like  to  look  round  the  cells  now  ?  "  the 
inspector  asked. 

Nekhludoff  looked  up  and  was  surprised  to  find  himself 
where  he  was.  The  Englishman  had  finished  his  notes  and 
expressed  a  wish  to  see  the  cells. 

Nekhludoff,  tired  and  indifferent,  followed  him. 


Resurrection  509 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 


THE    ENGLISH    VISITOR. 


When  they  had  passed  the  anteroom  and  the  sickening, 
stinking  corridor,  the  Englishman  and  Nekhludoff,  accom- 
panied by  the  inspector,  entered  the  first  cell,  where  those 
sentenced  to  hard  labour  were  confined.  The  beds  took  up 
the  middle  of  the  cell  and  the  prisoners  were  all  in  bed. 
There  were  about  70  of  them.  When  the  visitors  entered 
all  the  prisoners  jumped  up  and  stood  beside  the  beds,  ex- 
cepting two,  a  young  man  who  was  in  a  state  of  high  fever, 
and  an  old  man  who  did  nothing  but  groan. 

The  Englishman  asked  if  the  young  man  had  long  been  ill. 
The  inspector  said  that  he  was  taken  ill  in  the  morning,  but 
that  the  old  man  had  long  been  suffering  with  pains  in  the 
stomach,  but  could  not  be  removed,  as  the  infirmary  had  been 
overfilled  for  a  long  time.  The  Englishman  shook  his  head 
disapprovingly,  said  he  would  like  to  say  a  few  words  to 
these  people,  asking  Nekhludoff  to  interpret.  It  turned  out 
that  besides  studying  the  places  of  exile  and  the  prisons  of 
Siberia,  the  Englishman  had  another  object  in  view,  that  of 
preaching  salvation  through  faith  and  by  the  redemption. 

"  Tell  them,"  he  said,  "  that  Christ  died  for  them.  If  they 
believe  in  this  they  shall  be  saved."  While  he  spoke,  all  the 
prisoners  stood  silent  with  their  arms  at  their  sides.  '  This 
book,  tell  them,"  he  continued,  "says  all  about  it.  Can  any 
of  them  read  ?" 

There  were  more  than  20  who  could. 

The  Englishman  took  several  bound  Testaments  out  of  a 
hang-bag,  and  many  strong  hands  with  their  hard,  black 
nails  stretched  out  from  beneath  the  coarse  shirt-sleeves 
towards  him.    He  gave  away  two  Testaments  in  this  cell. 

The  same  thing  happened  in  the  second  cell.  There  was 
the  same  foul  air,  the  same  icon  hanging  between  the  win- 
dows, the  same  tub  to  the  left  of  the  door,  and  they  were  all 


5 1  o  Resurrection 

lying  side  by  side  close  to  one  another,  and  jumped  up  in  the 
same  manner  and  stood  stretched  full  length  with  their  arms 
by  their  sides,  all  but  three,  two  of  whom  sat  up  and  one  re- 
mained lying,  and  did  not  even  look  at  the  new-comers  ;  these 
three  were  also  ill.  The  Englishman  made  the  same  speech 
and  again  gave  away  two  books. 

In  the  third  room  four  were  ill.  When  the  Englishman 
asked  why  the  sick  were  not  put  all  together  into  one  cell,  the 
inspector  said  that  they  did  not  wish  it  themselves,  that  their 
diseases  were  not  infectious,  and  that  the  medical  assistant 
watched  them  and  attended  to  them. 

"  He  has  not  set  foot  here  for  a  fortnight,"  muttered  a 
voice. 

The  inspector  did  not  say  anything  and  led  the  way  to  the 
next  cell.  Again  the  door  was  unlocked,  and  all  got  up  and 
stood  silent.  Again  the  Englishman  gave  away  Testaments. 
It  was  the  same  in  the  fifth  and  sixth  cells,  in  those  to  the 
right  and  those  to  the  left. 

From  those  sentenced  to  hard  labour  they  went  on  to  the 
exiles. 

From  the  exiles  to  those  evicted  by  the  Commune  and  those 
who  followed  of  their  own  free  will. 

Everywhere  men,  cold,  hungry,  idle,  infected,  degraded, 
imprisoned,  were  shown  off  like  wild  beasts. 

The  Englishman,  having  given  away  the  appointed  num- 
ber of  Testaments,  stopped  giving  any  more,  and  made  no 
speeches.  The  oppressing  sight,  and  especially  the  stifling 
atmosphere,  quelled  even  his  energy,  and  he  went  from  cell 
to  cell,  saying  nothing  but  "  All  right  "  to  the  inspector's 
remarks  about  what  prisoners  there  were  in  each  cell. 

Nekhludoff  followed  as  in  a  dream,  unable  either  to  refuse 
to  go  on  or  to  go  away,  and  with  the  same  feelings  of  weari- 
ness and  hopelessness. 


Resurrection 


511 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


KRYLTZOFF    AT    REST. 


In  one  of  the  exiles'  cells  Nekhludoff,  to  his  surprise,  rec- 
ognised the  strange  old  man  he  had  seen  crossing  the  ferry 
that  morning.  This  old  man  was  sitting  on  the  floor  by  the 
beds,  barefooted,  with  only  a  dirty  cinder-coloured  shirt  on, 
torn  on  one  shoulder,  and  similar  trousers.  He  looked 
severely  and  enquiringly  at  the  new-comers.  His  emaciated 
body,  visible  through  the  holes  of  his  shirt,  looked  miserably 
weak,  but  in  his  face  was  even  more  concentrated  seriousness 
and  animation  than  when  Nekhludoff  saw  him  crossing  the 
ferry.  As  in  all  the  other  cells,  so  here  also  the  prisoners 
jumped  up  and  stood  erect  when  the  official  entered,  but  the 
old  man  remained  sitting.  His  eyes  glittered  and  his  brows 
frowned  with  wrath. 

"  Get  up,"  the  inspector  called  out  to  him. 

The  old  man  did  not  rise  and  only  smiled  contemptuously. 

'  Thy  servants  are  standing  before  thee.  I  am  not  thy  ser- 
vant.   Thou  bearest  the  seal "    The  old  man  pointed  to 

the  inspector's  forehead. 

'  Wha-a-t  ?  "  said  the  inspector  threateningly,  and  made  a 
step  towards  him. 

"  I  know  this  man,"  Nekhludoff  hastened  to  say ;  "  what  is 
he  imprisoned  for?  " 

'  The  police  have  sent  him  here  because  he  has  no  pass- 
port. We  ask  them  not  to  send  such,  but  they  will  do  it," 
said  the  inspector,  casting  an  angry  side  look  at  the  old  man. 

"  And  so  it  seems  thou,  too,  art  one  of  Antichrist's 
army?  "  the  old  man  said  to  Nekhludoff. 

"  No,  I  am  a  visitor,"  said  Nekhludoff. 

'  What,  hast  thou  come  to  see  how  Antichrist  tortures 
men  ?  There,  look,  he  has  locked  them  up  in  a  cage,  a  whole 
army  of  them.  Men  should  eat  bread  in  the  sweat  of  their 
brow.  And  he  has  locked  them  up  with  no  work  to  do,  and 
feeds  them  like  swine,  so  that  they  should  turn  into  beasts." 

'  What  is  he  saying?  "  asked  the  Englishman. 


5 1  2  Resurrection 

Nekhludoff  told  him  the  old  man  was  blaming  the  in- 
spector for  keeping-  men  imprisoned. 

"  Ask  him  how  he  thinks  one  should  treat  those  who  do 
not  keep  to  the  laws,"  said  the  Englishman. 

Nekhludoff  translated  the  question.  The  old  man  laughed 
in  a  strange  manner,  showing  his  teeth. 

"The  laws?"  he  repeated  with  contempt.  "He  first 
robbed  everybody,  took  all  the  earth,  all  the  rights  away  from 
men,  killed  all  those  who  were  against  him,  and  then  wrote 
laws,  forbidding  robbery  and  murder.  He  should  have  writ- 
ten these  laws  before." 

Nekhludoff  translated.  The  Englishman  smiled.  "Well, 
anyhow,  ask  him  how  one  should  treat  thieves  and  mur- 
derers at  present  ?  " 

Nekhludoff  again  translated  his  question. 

"  Tell  him  he  should  take  the  seal  of  Antichrist  off  him- 
self," the  old  man  said,  frowning  severely;  "  then  there  will 
be  no  thieves  and  murderers.    Tell  him  so." 

"  He  is  crazy,"  said  the  Englishman,  when  Nekhludoff  had 
translated  the  old  man's  words,  and,  shrugging  his 
shoulders,  he  left  the  cell. 

"  Do  thy  business  and  leave  them  alone.  Every  one  for 
himself.  God  knows  whom  to  execute,  whom  to  forgive, 
and  we  do  not  know,"  said  the  old  man.  "  Every  man  be  his 
own  chief,  then  the  chiefs  will  not  be  wanted.  Go,  go !  "  he 
added,  angrily  frowning  and  looking  with  glittering  eyes 
at  Nekhludoff,  who  lingered  in  the  cell.  "  Hast  thou  not 
looked  on  long  enough  how  the  servants  of  Antichrist  feed 
lice  on  men  ?    Go,  go !  " 

When  Nekhludoff  went  out  he  saw  the  Englishman  stand- 
ing by  the  open  door  of  an  empty  cell  with  the  inspector, 
asking  what  the  cell  was  for.  The  inspector  explained  that 
it  was  the  mortuary. 

"  Oh,"  said  the  Englishman  when  Nekhludoff  had  trans- 
lated, and  expressed  the  wish  to  go  in. 

The  mortuary  was  an  ordinary  cell,  not  very  large.  A 
small  lamp  hung  en  the  wall  and  dimly  lit  up  sacks  and  logs 
of  wood  that  were  piled  up  in  one  corner,  and  four  dead 
bodies  lay  on  the  bedshelves  to  the  right.  The  first  body  had  a 
coarse  linen  shirt  and  trousers  on ;  it  was  that  of  a  tall  man 
with  a  small  beard  and  half  his  head  shaved.  The  body  was 
quite  rigid ;  the  bluish  hands,  that  had  evidently  been  folded 
on  the  breast,  had  separated ;  the  legs  were  also  apart  and 


Resurrection  5  1  3 

the  bare  feet  were  sticking  out.  Next  to  him  lay  a  bare- 
footed old  woman  in  a  white  petticoat,  her  head,  with  its  thin 
plait  of  hair,  uncovered,  with  a  little,  pinched  yellow  face  and 
a  sharp  nose.  Beyond  her  was  another  man  with  something 
lilac  on.  This  colour  reminded  Nekhludoff  of  something. 
He  came  nearer  and  looked  at  the  body.  The  small,  pointed 
beard  sticking  upwards,  the  firm,  well-shaped  nose,  the  high, 
white  forehead,  the  thin,  curly  hair ;  he  recognised  the 
familiar  features  and  could  hardly  believe  his  eyes.  Yester- 
day he  had  seen  this  face,  angry,  excited,  and  full  of  suffer- 
ing; now  it  was  quiet,  motionless,  and  terribly  beautiful. 
Yes,  it  was  Kryltzoff,  or  at  any  rate  the  trace  that  his  ma- 
terial existence  had  left  behind.  '  Why  had  he  suffered? 
Why  had  he  lived  ?  Does  he  now  understand  ?  "  Nekhludoff 
thought,  and  there  seemed  to  be  no  answer,  seemed  to  be 
nothing  but  death,  and  he  felt  faint.  Without  taking  leave  of 
the  Englishman,  Nekhludoff  asked  the  inspector  to  lead  him 
out  into  the  yard,  and  feeling  the  absolute  necessity  of  being 
alone  to  think  over  all  that  had  happened  that  evening,  he 
drove  back  to  his  hotel. 


5H  Resurrection 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

A    NEW    LIFE   DAWNS    FOR    NEKHLUDOFF. 

Nekhludoff  did  not  go  to  bed,  but  went  up  and  down  his 
room  for  a  long  time.  His  business  with  Katusha  was  at  an 
end.  He  was  not  wanted,  and  this  made  him  sad  and 
ashamed.  His  other  business  was  not  only  unfinished,  but 
troubled  him  more  than  ever  and  demanded  his  activity.  All 
this  horrible  evil  that  he  had  seen  and  learned  to  know  lately, 
and  especially  to-day  in  that  awful  prison,  this  evil,  which 
had  killed  that  dear  Kryltzoff,  ruled  and  was  triumphant,  and 
he  could  foresee  no  possibility  of  conquering  or  even  know- 
ing how  to  conquer  it.  Those  hundreds  and  thousands  of  de- 
graded human  beings  locked  up  in  the  noisome  prisons  by  in- 
different generals,  procureurs,  inspectors,  rose  up  in  his  im- 
agination ;  he  remembered  the  strange,  free  old  man  accusing 
the  officials,  and  therefore  considered  mad,  and  among  the 
corpses  the  beautiful,  waxen  face  of  Kryltzoff,  who  had  died 
in  anger.  And  again  the  question  as  to  whether  he  was  mad 
or  those  who  considered  they  were  in  their  right  minds 
while  they  committed  all  these  deeds  stood  before  him  with 
renewed  force  and  demanded  an  answer. 

Tired  of  pacing  up  and  down,  tired  of  thinking,  he  sat 
down  on  the  sofa  near  the  lamp  and  mechanically  opened  the 
Testament  which  the  Englishman  had  given  him  as  a  remem- 
brance, and  which  he  had  thrown  on  the  table  when  he 
emptied  his  pockets  on  coming  in. 

'  It  is  said  one  can  find  an  answer  to  everything  here,"  he 
thought,  and  opened  the  Testament  at  random  and  began 
reading  Matt,  xviii.  1-4:  "In  that  hour  came  the  disciples 
unto  Jesus,  saying,  Who  then  is  greatest  in  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven?  And  He  called  to  Him  a  little  child,  and  set  him 
in  the  midst  of  them,  and  said,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Except 
ye  turn  and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  in  nowise  enter 
into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  Whosoever  therefore  shall 
humble  himself  as  this  little  child  the  same  is  the  greatest 
in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven." 

'  Yes,  yes,  that  is  true,"  he  said,  remembering  that  he  had 


Resurrection 


5l5 


known  the  peace  and  joy  of  life  only  when  he  had  humbled 
himself. 

"  And  whosoever  shall  receive  one  such  little  child  in  My 
name  receiveth  Me,  hut  whoso  shall  cause  one  of  these  little 
ones  to  stumble,  it  is  more  profitable  for  him  that  a  great 
millstone  should  be  hanged  about  his  neck  and  that  he 
should  be  sunk  in  the  depths  of  the  sea."    (Matt,  xviii.  5,  6.) 

'What  is  this  for,  'Whosoever  shall  receive?'  Receive 
where?  And  what  does  'in  my  name'  mean?"  he  asked, 
feeling  that  these  words  did  not  tell  him  anything.  "  And 
why  '  the  millstone  round  his  neck  and  the  depths  of  the  sea?  ' 
No,  that  is  not  it :  it  is  not  clear,"  and  he  remembered  how 
more  than  once  in  his  life  he  had  taken  to  reading  the  Gos- 
pels, and  how  want  of  clearness  in  these  passages  had  re- 
pulsed him.  He  went  on  to  read  the  seventh,  eighth,  ninth, 
and  tenth  verses  about  the  occasions  of  stumbling,  and  that 
they  must  come,  and  about  punishment  by  casting  men  into 
hell  fire,  and  some  kind  of  angels  who  see  the  face  of  the 
Father  in  Heaven.  "  What  a  pity  that  this  is  so  incoherent,'" 
he  thought,  "  yet  one  feels  that  there  is  something  good  in 
it." 

'  For  the  Son  of  Man  came  to  save  that  which  was  lost," 
he  continued  to  read. 

'  How  think  ye?  If  any  man  have  a  hundred  sheep  and 
one  of  them  go  astray,  doth  he  not  leave  the  ninety  and  nine 
and  go  into  the  mountains  and  seek  that  which  goeth  astray  ? 
And  if  so  be  that  he  find  it,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  he  rejoiceth 
over  it  more  than  over  the  ninety  and  nine  which  have  not 
gone  astray. 

'  Even  so  it  is  not  the  will  of  your  Father  which  is  in 
Heaven  that  one  of  these  little  ones  should  perish." 

'  Yes,  it  is  not  the  will  of  the  Father  that  they  should  per- 
ish, and  here  they  are  perishing  by  hundreds  and  thousands. 
And  there  is  no  possibility  of  saving  them,"  he  thought. 

1  Then  came  Peter  and  said  to  him,  How  oft  shall  my 
brother  offend  me  and  I  forgive  him?  Until  seven  times'? 
Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  say  not  unto  thee  until  seven  times, 
but  until  seventy  times  seven. 

:  Therefore  is  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  likened  unto  a  cer- 
tain king  which  made  a  reckoning  with  his  servants.  And 
when  he  had  begun  to  reckon,  one  was  brought  unto  him 
which  owed  him  ten  thousand  talents.  But  forasmuch  as  he 
had  not  wherewith  to  pay,  his  lord  commanded  him  to  be 


5  1 6  Resurrection 

sold,  and  his  wife  and  children,  and  all  that  he  had,  and  pay- 
ment to  be  made.  The  servant  therefore  fell  clown  and  wor- 
shipped him,  saying,  Lord,  have  patience  with  me ;  I  will  pay 
thee  all.  And  the  lord  of  that  servant,  being  moved  with 
compassion,  released  him  and  forgave  him  the  debt.  But 
that  servant  went  out,  and  found  one  of  his  fellow-servants 
which  owed  him  a  hundred  pence ;  and  he  laid  hold  on  him 
and  took  him  by  the  throat,  saying,  Pay  what  thou  owest.  So 
his  fellow-servant  fell  down  and  besought  him,  saying,  Have 
patience  with  me  and  I  will  pay  thee.  And  he  would  not,  but 
went  and  cast  him  into  prison  till  he  should  pay  that  which 
was  due.  So  when  his  fellow-servants  saw  what  was  done, 
they  were  exceeding  sorry,  and  came  and  told  unto  their  lord 
all  that  was  done.  Then  his  lord  called  him  unto  him  and 
saith  to  him,  Thou  wicked  servant,  I  forgave  thee  all  that 
debt  because  thou  besought  me ;  shouldst  not  thou  also  have 
mercy  on  thy  fellow-servant  as  I  had  mercy  on  thee?  " 

"  And  is  this  all?  "  Nekhludoff  suddenly  exclaimed  aloud, 
and  the  inner  voice  of  the  whole  of  his  being  said,  "  Yes,  it  is 
all."  And  it  happened  to  Nekhludoff,  as  it  often  happens  to 
men  who  are  living  a  spiritual  life.  The  thought  that  seemed 
strange  at  first  and  paradoxical  or  even  to  be  only  a  joke, 
being  confirmed  more  and  more  often  by  life's  experience, 
suddenly  appeared  as  the  simplest,  truest  certainty.  In  this 
way  the  idea  that  the  only  certain  means  of  salvation  from 
the  terrible  evil  from  which  men  were  suffering  was  that 
they  should  always  acknowledge  themselves  to  be  sinning 
against  God,  and  therefore  unable  to  punish  or  correct  others, 
because  they  were  dear  to  Him.  It  became  clear  to  him  that 
all  the  dreadful  evil  he  had  been  witnessing  in  prisons  and  jails 
and  the  quiet  self-satisfaction  of  the  perpetrators  of  this  evil 
were  the  consequences  of  men  trying  to  do  what  wras  impos- 
sible ;  trying  to  correct  evil  while  being  evil  themselves ; 
vicious  men  were  trying  to  correct  other  vicious  men,  and 
thought  they  could  do  it  by  using  mechanical  means,  and 
the  only  consequence  of  all  this  was  that  the  needs  and  the 
cupidity  of  some  men  induced  them  to  take  up  this  so-called 
punishment  and  correction  as  a  profession,  and  have  them- 
selves become  utterly  corrupt,  and  go  on  unceasingly  deprav- 
ing those  whom  they  torment.  Now  he  saw  clearly  what  all 
the  terrors  he  had  seen  came  from,  and  what  ought  to  be 
done  to  put  a  stop  to  them.  The  answer  he  could  not  find 
was  the  same  that  Christ  gave  to  Peter.     It  was  that  we 


Resurrection  517 

should  forgive  always  an  infinite  number  of  times  because 
there  are  no  men  who  have  not  sinned  themselves,  and  there- 
fore none  can  punish  or  correct  others. 

"  But  surely  it  cannot  be  so  simple,"  thought  Nekhludoff, 
and  yet  he  saw  with  certainty,  strange  as  it  had  seemed  at 
first,  that  it  was  not  only  a  theoretical  but  also  a  practical 
solution  of  the  question.  The  usual  objection,  "  What  is  one 
to  do  with  the  evil  doers?  Surely  not  let  them  go  unpun- 
ished? "  no  longer  confused  him.  This  objection  might  have 
a  meaning  if  it  were  proved  that  punishment  lessened  crime, 
or  improved  the  criminal,  but  when  the  contrary  was  proved, 
and  it  was  evident  that  it  was  not  in  people's  power  to  correct 
each  other,  the  only  reasonable  thing  to  do  is  to  leave  off  do- 
ing the  things  which  are  not  only  useless,  but  harmful, 
immoral  and  cruel. 

For  many  centuries  people  who  were  considered  criminals 
have  been  tortured.  Well,  and  have  they  ceased  to  exist? 
No;  their  numbers  have  been  increased  not  alone  by  the 
criminals  corrupted  by  punishment  but  also  by  those  lawful 
criminals,  the  judges,  procureurs,  magistrates  and  jailers, 
who  judge  and  punish  men.  Nekhludoff  now  understood 
that  society  and  order  in  general  exists  not  because  of  these 
lawful  criminals  who  judge  and  punish  others,  but  because  in 
spite  of  men  being  thus  depraved,  they  still  pity  and  love  one 
another. 

In  hopes  of  finding  a  confirmation  of  this  thought  in  the 
Gospel,  Nekhludoff  began  reading  it  from  the  oeginning 
When  he  had  read  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  which  had 
always  touched  him,  he  saw  in  it  for  the  first  time  to-day  not 
beautiful  abstract  thoughts,  setting  forth  for  the  most  part 
exaggerated  and  impossible  demands,  but  simple,  clear,  prac- 
tical laws.  If  these  laws  were  carried  out  in  practice  (and 
this  was  quite  possible)  they  would  establish  perfectly  new 
and  surprising  conditions  of  social  life,  in  which  the  violence 
that  filled  Nekhludoff  with  such  indignation  would  cease  of 
itself.  Not  only  this,  but  the  greatest  blessing  that  is  obtain- 
able to  men,  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  on  Earth  would  be 
established.    There  were  five  of  these  laws. 

The  first  (Matt.  v.  21-26),  that  man  should  not  only  do  no 
murder,  but  not  even  be  angry  with  his  brother,  should  not 
consider  any  one  worthless  :  "  Raca,"  and  if  he  has  quarrelled 
with  any  one  he  should  make  it  up  with  him  before  bringing 
his  gift  to  God — i.e.,  before  praying. 


5.8 


Resurrection 


The  second  (Matt.  v.  27-32),  that  man  should  not  only  not 
commit  adultery  but  should  not  even  seek  for  enjoyment  in 
a  women's  beauty,  and  if  he  has  once  come  together  with 
a  woman  he  should  never  be  faithless  to  her. 

The  third  (Matt.  33-37),  that  man  should  never  bind  him- 
self by  oath. 

The  fourth  (Matt.  38-42),  that  man  should  not  only  not 
demand  an  eye  for  an  eye,  but  when  struck  on  one  cheek 
should  hold  out  the  other,  should  forgive  an  offence  and  bear 
it  humbly,  and  never  refuse  the  service  others  demand  of 
him. 

The  fifth  (Matt.  43-48),  that  man  should  not  only  not  hate 
his  enemy  and  not  fight  him,  but  love  him,  help  him,  serve 
him. 

Nekhludoff  sat  staring  at  the  lamp  and  his  heart  stood 
still.  Recalling  the  monstrous  confusion  of  the  life  we  lead, 
he  distinctly  saw  what  that  life  could  be  if  men  were  brought 
up  to  obey  these  rules,  and  rapture  such  as  he  had  long  not 
felt  filled  his  soul,  just  as  if  after  long  days  of  weariness  and 
suffering  he  had  suddenly  found  ease  and  freedom. 

He  did  not  sleep  all  night,  and  as  it  happens  to  many  and 
many  a  man  who  reads  the  Gospels  he  understood  for  the 
first  time  the  full  meaning  of  the  words  read  so  often  before 
but  passed  by  unnoticed.  He  imbibed  all  these  necessary,  im- 
portant and  joyful  revelations  as  a  sponge  imbibes  water. 
And  all  he  read  seemed  so  familiar  and  seemed  to  confirm, 
to  form  into  a  conception,  what  he  had  known  long  ago,  but 
had  never  realised  and  never  quite  believed.  Now  he  realised 
and  believed  it,  and  not  only  realised  and  believed  that  if 
men  would  obey  these  laws  they  would  obtain  the  highest 
blessing  they  can  attain  to,  he  also  realised  and  believed  that 
the  only  duty  of  every  man  is  to  fulfil  these  laws ;  that  in  this 
lies  the  only  reasonable  meaning  of  life,  that  every  stepping 
aside  from  these  laws  is  a  mistake  which  is  immediately  fol- 
lowed by  retribution.  This  flowed  from  the  whole  of  the 
teaching,  and  was  most  strongly  and  clearly  illustrated  in  the 
parable  of  the  vineyard. 

The  husbandman  imagined  that  the  vineyard  in  which  they 
were  sent  to  work  for  their  master  was  their  own,  that  all 
that  was  in  was  made  for  them,  and  that  their  business  was 
to  enjoy  life  in  this  vineyard,  forgetting  the  Master  and 
killing  all  those  who  reminded  them  of  his  existence.  "  Are 
we  do  not  doing  the  same,"  Nekhludoff  thought,  "  when  we 


Resurrection  5  1 9 

imagine  ourselves  to  be  masters  of  our  lives,  and  that  life  is 
given  us  for  enjoyment?  This  evidently  is  an  incongruity. 
We  were  sent  here  by  some  one's  will  and  for  some  reason. 
And  we  have  concluded  that  we  live  only  for  our  own  joy, 
and  of  course  we  feel  unhappy  as  labourers  do  when  not  ful- 
filling their  Master's  orders.  The  Master's  will  is  expressed 
in  these  commandments.  If  men  will  only  fulfil  these  laws, 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  will  be  established  on  earth,  and 
men  will  receive  the  greatest  good  that  they  can  attain  to. 

'  Seek  ye  first  the  Kingdom  and  His  righteousness,  and 
all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you.' 

"  And  so  here  it  is,  the  business  of  my  life.  Scarcely  have 
I  finished  one  and  another  has  commenced."  And  a  perfectly 
new  life  dawned  that  night  for  Nekhludoff,  not  because  he 
had  entered  into  new  conditions  of  life,  but  because  every- 
thing he  did  after  that  night  had  a  new  and  quite  different 
significance  than  before.  How  this  new  period  of  his  life 
will  end  time  alone  will  prove. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA      000  339  113    3 


CENTRAL  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
University  of  California,  San  Diego 


DATE  DUE 

DEC  2*  1315 

JAb^C  0  9  1978 

OCT  0  9  1978 

OCT  03  1986 

nr.T  1  -  W 

CI  39 

UCSD  Libr. 

